Breaking The Ice
by OfTheFlamingHeart
Summary: Breaking The Ice: Jack Frost must make friends with unlikely people, from Mother Nature's Court of Seasons to Pitch Black, in order to find the answers he needs. Meanwhile, holiday and seasonal icons are falling victim to a power-draining illness! Mostly canon (film and books) with a few additions. (Part 2 of Frosted Memories).
1. Break Away

Crossing the Pacific had been an ordeal. Jack felt like he was fighting the wind half the time and he was sure he'd been blown off course. He hadn't realized exactly how far off course, but when he saw the Golden Gate Bridge, he felt a stab of surprise. California? Jack thought. How had that happened? At worst, he thought Northern Mexico, but San Francisco?

He gave in and made landfall, exhausted in a way he hadn't been since fighting against PItch. Jack took stock of his powers and realized he was coming up short. Something was putting a drain on his abilities and he couldn't place it. He only had one idea as far as getting some answers, but the informant in question had a...checkered past when it came to his relationship to Jack. Although, Jack realized, it was mostly his own fault that he and the Groundhog didn't get along.

Phil was bound to be in San Fransisco this time of year; he'd always loved sunny California. Why he didn't make it his permanent home was beyond Jack, but that was the Groundhog's decision. Besides the sun, the Groundhog loved the old tunnels in San Fransisco. He'd even taken to vacationing in a mostly abandoned subway station. Of course, Jack hadn't ever been to it, but he had heard about Phil's off-season habits from the Tooth Fairy.

With his abilities exhausted, Jack took to the streets and walked, something he hadn't done for extended periods of time in years. For once, he was grateful he didn't have any believers in the city, he went unnoticed. By the time he made it to the old station, he was about spent physically and he slipped through the locked doors like they weren't there.

After a cursory look around the old station, he realized Phil wasn't around. He tried calling out to Phil, but then wondered if Phil would even show. The Groundhog had skittish tendencies in all the times that Jack had ever seen him. Of course, Jack had probably exploited that weakness one or two (dozen) times. Jack put a hand up to his forehead in frustration. Should he really be blaming himself now? Sure he'd tormented the Groundhog, but the guy possessed the ability to make winter longer or shorter just by when he left his burrow on one day of the year! If he hadn't, then his own fun would be cut short and he'd have to move on to the next Wintering place.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment, glad that Jamie never knew about the Groundhog. He'd never told Jamie about all the other non-Guardian immortals, although he suspected Jamie guessed about a few of them. And just like that, Jack caught himself thinking about Jamie. It had only been a few weeks since the tragedy, but every time he started thinking about his boyfriend, his soul-mate, he felt a terrible pain in his heart. Jack leaned against the wall.

That's when his feet left the floor and it had nothing to do with his own powers. A big furry paw had closed around Jack's neck and lifted him up by his throat. Jack's eyes snapped open and he looked straight into the face of a very angry and very large Groundhog.

"Hey, Phil. Long time no see." Jack tried to say casually. It came out a bit more raspy than he had intended. His only response was a low growl.

With an effort, Jack summoned his staff. It was a trick he'd figured out only in the last few months; he could make his staff appear out of- or disappear into- thin air. It took too long this time, and the effort combined with being strangled nearly made him pass out. Effortlessly, the Groundhog knocked Jack's weapon out of his hand with the paw not holding him to the wall.

Jack placed both of his hands on the Groundhog's wrist, trying to get some leverage so he could breathe. Not that he needed to breathe exactly, but without air he would have a very hard time talking. "Phil, hear me out." He croaked.

"NO!" Phil roared in his face. "This is going TOO FAR, Frost! You torment me enough on the one day a year when I have a job to do. Now you come and find me on my off-season! This is why I come to California in the summer; to get away from you!"

Jack tried desperately to make ice on the Groundhog's wrist, but nothing was happening. Luckily this went unnoticed, but Phil continued. "What's the practical joke this time? Going to freeze my paw to some subway tracks? Huh? Or maybe you'll stick to your old favorite, dropping snow on my head? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" This last sentence saw Phil emphasize each word by slamming Jack against the wall repeatedly. Jack felt dizzy and more than a bit scared by now.

"I'm…sorry." Jack managed a small whisper. In shock, the Groundhog dropped Jack.

Hitting the ground in an unceremonious heap, Jack gasped for air. He looked up, and realized just how much taller the Groundhog was. Phil was taller than the Easter Bunny! The Groundhog took a step back and light filtered around the massive immortal. "You're sorry? Years of torturing me on the worst possible day and all you have to say is you're sorry?"

"I...shouldn't have treated you...like that." Jack wheezed. "I just...didn't want winter to end so soon those years."

"So that's why you put me through that all these years?" Phil crossed his arms over his chest. "You did all that just to keep having fun?"

Jack struggled to sit up and finally managed to get his back up against the wall for support. "More than that." Breathing was getting a bit easier. "I thought I was close to getting a believer. So I tricked you into making winter longer so I could keep working on the child." Jack coughed a few times but felt a bit better. "Didn't matter, though." Jack laughed bitterly. "Each one of them never became my first believer."

"Yeah, that only happened recently." Phil said with a bit of a smug look on his face. "How is your first believer? He must be an adult by now, these humans have a way of getting old fast."

"He's dead." Jack said, his voice filled with sadness.

Embarrassed, the Groundhog stammered out a reply. "Oh, ah, well."

"Save it." Jack said as he shakily got to his feet. "I guess I should have known better than to expect you to care about me. I've been a pain in your furry behind for too many years. I just thought...you know what? I wasn't thinking." He turned to leave. "Bye Phil, I won't bother you again."

Phil actually let Jack take a few steps towards the door before stopping him. "Jack!" He said finally. "Follow me."

The Groundhog led him to an old maintenance closet and ushered Jack in. The closet was actually a lot bigger that Jack thought it would be, but then again the Groundhog was very good with making a den.

"Alright, what's the story?"

Jack told the Groundhog everything. The stupid jealousy that Jack felt anytime Claire was around, the kiss that had driven Jack away right before Jamie would need him most, and his maddening search through the wreckage. He told Phil about Sophie's letter and the ominous reply she got from North.

"So now what? You're on the run from the Guardians and trying to clear your name at the same time?" The Groundhog whistled low. "That's a tall order."

Jack heaved a sigh. "Don't I know it?" Casually, he flipped up the hood of his blue jacket, but not before Phil saw the glistening on his cheek.

Awkwardly, Phil got up and walked over to his makeshift kitchen. As an immortal, he didn't really have to eat, but he found it nice every once in a while to indulge himself. Luckily, he still had some hot chocolate left and he had it ready in a minutes.

Turning back around, Phil saw Jack holding his face with both hands. The young immortal's shoulders were shaking with quiet sobs. A bit unsure, Phil decided to at least try to help Jack in the small way he could. He set the hot chocolate to one side and sat down next to his former tormentor. When Jack turned in surprise, Phil pulled him into a side hug by one massive arm.

Shocked, Jack almost resisted, but then Phil spoke. "Jack, you've been through hell and you look worse. And the people who ought to be helping you are hunting you down. Just let it all out, the sooner the better." Jack felt overwhelmed at the gesture and relented. He sobbed shamelessly into the fur of the Groundhog. For his part, Phil alternated between patting Jack's back and rubbing a paw through Jack's hair consolingly. He murmered a few comforting phrases, ran out of those and switched to humming a few songs in his deep bass voice.

When Jack was finally dried out; a process that took longer than either immortals realized, he pulled away from the Groundhog. "Thanks, I didn't realize I needed that." Phil rolled his eyes as if to say obviously and Jack continued. "But I came here because I think I'm getting weaker. My powers, I've never had to fight with them like I've done lately."

Phil considered Jack thoughtfully. The Groundhog is THE expert at sensing the flow of energy. His job was to gather the necessary energy to help change the season and on Groundhog's Day, either release it or hold on to the energy a bit longer and add to it. After a brief glance, Phil frowned. "Well, that's odd."

Jack didn't know how to respond. Finally he settled with a very confused, "What?"

Phil seemed to remember that Jack was there and he scratched his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, here, stand up and let me get a good look at you."

Jack got up, feeling sore from crying and from sitting for too long. He was unsteady for a bit before he got hold of himself. Turning to face the Groundhog, he awaited the expert's opinion. That's when he noticed the furry immortal's eyes were closed.

"Um, Phil?" Jack asked, wondering how he could fall asleep like that.

"I'm not looking with my eyes, but with my mind." Phil answered, slight irritation registering in his tone.

"Oh, sorry." Jack said quickly.

"Shh. I'm concentrating." Phil rebuked

"Sor-" Jack almost apologized again but managed to shut his mouth in time.

After a full minute had passed, Jack was starting to feel really uneasy. Why was it taking so long? A few long seconds later, Phil's eyes opened again and he spoke. "Well, I've got a few theories."

Jack only just managed not to sigh in frustration. He was hoping for answers, not theories. At this point, though, he was willing to take what he could get. "Okay." He folded his arms across his chest to keep him from shaking.

"Here, let's switch places while I explain. You should probably be sitting for this."

Jack almost objected out of nerves alone, but then realized there was a slight shake in his knees. Wordlessly he switched places so that Phil was standing and he sat on the couch.

"From what I can tell, there is a definite drain on your powers. Unfortunately I can't pinpoint the source." Jack's shoulders fell in disappointment. "However, I do have a few ideas."

"Let's hear them." Jack said, unenthusiastically.

Phil ignored the tone and continued. "I can think of three reasons why you would lose power. The first is that you've been kicked out of the Guardians. As a Guardian, your powers are augmented by your believers. That's why the Guardians lost so much power during the battle with Pitch; they rely exclusively on that source of power. But you were fairly strong even without having any believers so you shouldn't be suffering from this level of power loss if that was the case. Also, from what I understand it should be impossible to cut your Guardianhood without you present."

"The next likelihood is that you've been out of your season for too long. This is the most likely, as your abilities are winter based and you've been in the summer, in Hawaii no less, for a month. Being out of your element like that is very taxing on your abilities and could lead them to break down. The biggest problem here is how to get you back in your element. It would be easy to go back to Burgess or even up to the far north but then you run the risk of meeting up with the Guardians, which I doubt you'd want to do."

"Not in my condition, no." Jack answered hastily.

"Well then, the question then becomes how to get you back in your element. I think you'll have to try going south, for the Winter." Phil chuckled a bit at his little joke. Jack wasn't as amused.

"Flying is already difficult and unless you've forgotten, there are large stretches of desert between me and the southern hemisphere." Jack said icily.

"True, but you don't want to go by sea. For one, the Guardians are probably searching coastlines on both sides of the Pacific. For another, you probably shouldn't be flying anyways. Night would be the most dangerous, considering Sandman and Tooth Fairy's usual operating time. You would also want to avoid children, especially at night for the same reason. North and Bunny are more dangerous considering their usual temperament, but Tooth and Sandy are more likely to find you." Jack nodded, the Groundhog made a lot of sense.

"So I'll be fairly low powered for some time. Still doesn't answer how I'm going to make it to the South." Jack sighed; stymied at the problem.

"You could use the same transportation humans do. I wouldn't take a cruise, but planes, cars, buses and such should be good. Just be sure to avoid any sleeping children and you'll be okay.

"Well, thanks Phil, I think I should...wait." Jack paused as he stood up to leave. "You said there were three reasons that my powers would be diminishing. You only mentioned two; losing Guardianhood and being out of my season. So what's the third one?"

Phil paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. He had avoided this last subject and had hoped Jack wouldn't notice his slip up. "I don't want you to get paranoid, because I don't know of anyone still alive with this ability." At the insistent look on Jack's face, Phil relented with a sigh. "You might have been cursed. A curse like this is something I haven't seen in many centuries, long before my holiday was recognized. The last one I knew was an immortal that is now dead. A few humans have had the ability to place curses, but they are even more rare."

"Do you know anyone who would know?" Jack asked. He wasn't sure why he was pursuing this lead. Maybe he wanted a backup in case going south didn't work.

Phil shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe Mother Nature. But she's not easy to find. Her island is somewhere along the equator. It keeps moving, so it's impossible to say where it is now. But again, that's a big risk searching the ocean with the Guardians on the hunt for you "

"I know. I just wanted to have all the information in front of me. Thanks Phil, for everything." Jack managed a tired turned to leave.

"Well, don't go yet!" Phil stopped him. "It's going to be dark soon and you haven't slept in at least a day. You can stay the night here."

"I don't know how to thank you." Jack said.

"Just prove your innocence. That'll be enough for me."

* * *

><p>The day after Jack left, Phil faced two very angry Guardians.<p>

"You told him what?" Tooth practically seethed.

"I just gave him a few common-sense tips on how to avoid you." Phil sighed. "And considering how quickly you got on his trail, you can see why that was necessary, given what he knew. How did you track him down, anyway?"

Sandy waved his hand at him and Phil suppressed a groan. He wasn't one for guessing games and the Sandman's method of communication (dream sand constructs above his head) could be hard to interpret. Luckily, Tooth spared him, taking charge of the conversation so they could finish as quickly as possible and get back to searching for Jack. "Sandy noticed a big up-tick in the number of children's dreams dealing with snow in the area. Even kids who've never been outside of the city were dreaming about sledding and ice-skating. Jack's still projecting a bit of energy around him without knowing he's doing it."

The Groundhog nodded, it had been a source of confusion when he looked over Jack to see the ambient energy radiating off of him but he'd written it off as some Guardian thing. Jack had never had the problem before, otherwise Phil would have noticed him coming and saved himself a few headaches. "Well, there you have it! I figured he needed to stay away from sleeping children if he wanted to avoid you."

The Tooth Fairy was having none of this. She fluttered up right in his face and prodded his chest as she spoke. "He should have trusted us to hear him out! You should have known us better than to think we would simply..."

"Blind-side him with a bag and toss him through a portal?" Phil offered as she stammered to find words through her rage.

"That was NORTH'S idea! AND that was years ago!" She dropped back down to the ground and sat down. "We need to find him, Phil. If he's really losing power like you say he is, then he's not the only one."

That got his attention. "Is this happening to all of you Guardians?"

Sandy shook his head. To prove it, he produced his dream-sand whips and gave them a few hearty cracks. Phil looked at Tooth, who shrugged, split into two and then fused back together. "Not us, but Cupid has come to us with a similar problem and who knows who could be next?"

"I don't know what to tell you other than to keep doing what you're doing. If he's putting off enough energy to affect dreams, then he'll be easy to spot. And if you really are going to give him a chance, then I'll tell you that he's probably using human modes of transportation. His goal is the South Pole, but once he gets there it'll be that much harder to track him. Even more so if that gives him back his powers."

"Let's go Sandy." Tooth turned to leave, but then quickly changed her mind and turned back on the Groundhog. "And if I ever catch you helping people escape from us, I'll knock every tooth out of your burrow-loving head!"

Sandy gently pulled the Tooth Fairy away from the Groundhog, smiling apologetically. As they left, Phil sighed. Jack was in more trouble than either of them had realized. Phil hoped that Sandy and Tooth would find him soon.

* * *

><p>Note: Here we go! Glad to be back into the saddle again, so to speak. I took some time off, got my outline together (okay, most of it, I'm up to chapter 6 outlined), made a twitter account ( OfAFlamingHeart), and finished this chapter a day early. Truth be told, the outline called for this to be one chapter but after seeing how long it would most likely be, I decided to split it. Feel free to review, I could use all the encouragement I can get and the constructive criticism has been really helpful.<p> 


	2. Jack Broken

"Luck is on your side, laddie, I can feel it." The Leprechaun said as Jack entered the old bar.

"What in the world are you doing in Phoenix?" Jack asked.

The Leprechaun laughed. "I could very well ask you the same question, Frosty."

At Jack's pissed-off look, the Irishman rolled his eyes. "Fine, your old pal Paddy tends to prefer less rainy areas these days, let's just leave it at that." Jack raised an eyebrow, but let it slide. "How did you find me if you didn't know I was here?"

"I guessed. Did you know the only thing green in this neighborhood is the little field of four leaf clovers growing through the parking lot here?" Jack asked mockingly.

Paddy sighed. "Can't be helped. They tend to follow me like cold weather is drawn to you. Speaking of which, you'll need to leave town soon, sorry you're visit was so short." Paddy turned to leave the bar, place was dry as a bone anyway.

Jack snorted. "There's only one thing short around here, Lucky Paddy and that's you. Trying to get rid of me?"

Paddy stopped and turned back to face the white-haired immortal. "Word travels, Jackie, even to a dusty oven like this. And there's a story about you that makes me more than a bit leery of dealing with the like of you."

Jack stiffened in surprise. "Who could've?" Then it hit him. "Bunnymund." He didn't have to look at the Irish immortal to know he'd guessed right.

Paddy nodded anyway. "Aye, 'twas Mr. E. Aster himself what told me. I'd come to visit like I usually did near summer's end, but he had none of his usual cheer."

"Like the Bunny is known for being cheerful." Jack replied in a tone as dry as the city. Paddy ignored him.

"And he says to me, Paddy, he says, that blasted Frost has gone and done a horrible wrong. Then he says he hasn't the time for ol' Paddy at the moment, because he was busy training eggs to look for you. Or trying to, leastways, mind you, since most of his eggs were either too fresh or else spoiled." Paddy took a breath and kept a close eye on Jack as he spoke. "Finally I get to hear that you went and killed a believer. Not only did you kill a believer, he was your first."

"And I was dating him." Jack said suddenly. "Did Bunny tell you that? How about the field of icebergs that the ship ran into before it blew up, did he mention that? Or how the Guardians decided to hunt me down rather than actually listen to me?" Jack was emotional, but controlled his temper. He knew Paddy was just itching for an excuse to disappear and tell the Guardians where he was.

"No, he neglected to mention any of that. However, that doesn't make you look any better. Just gives you more motive and a a method." Paddy folded his arms across his chest. "Why are yiu here, Jack Frost?"

"My powers are fizzling out. I can barely make ice and I can't fly for more than a few miles. I think it has to do with..."

"All the power that you're leaking?" The Leprechaun asked.

"What?" Jack managed to ask after adjusting to the shock.

"Yep, it's probably seeping out of you and into your surroundings. It's very faint, I wouldn't have noticed usually, but I am pretty lucky." He answered.

Thinking for a moment, Jack made a decision. "Can you help me fix that? Please?"

Paddy clenched his fists. His face remained remarkably calm. "Now why would I help you? We barely know each other Frost. You seemed keen on getting a believer to see you. Until the Guardians chose you. I figured you'd never consider becoming friendly with the folks who could see you. And now you're apparently responsible for killing your first believer in a lover's quarrel! Things don't look good for you, Jack."

"Do they add up to you? You're no stranger to the odds, luckster. So what are the odds I would kill my boyfriend and first believer?" Jack stuck his hand in his pockets to keeo them from shaking.

A long pause fell between them. Paddy looked Jack straight in the eyes and Jack didn't flinch away. Finally, the Leprechaun spoke. "Suppose I believe you. Why are you running from the Guardians?"

"I have to find out who killed Jamie. There's...someone very important to me that I need to convince. She's a mortal so I don't know how much time I'll have. I can't let the Guardians stop me or distract me. And having this problem with my powers is driving me insane." Jack said, eyes never wavering from Paddy's.

"I don't know..." Paddy said uncertainly.

"The Groundhog believed me." Jack said. "He even told me how to evade the Guardians and gave me the first clue to finding Mother Nature."

"Her island on the equator." Paddy said simply.

"How did you know?"

"Lucky guess." Paddy said. Jack was sure there was more to it than that but he didn't want to press the issue. "Fine, laddy. I can help you close the leak. Mind you, it'll take time to regain what you've lost, even after I seal the leak. You'll need to recharge in the Antarctic for about six months and then stick to your own season for another three. By then you should be close to normal."

Jack nodded, trying not to look as disappointed as he felt. So much for hitting the equator soon, Jack thought. "Should I sit or what?"

"Either way, you'll likely end up on the ground at some point." Paddy said. He threw his hand outward, palm out and pointed at Jack. A bright green light in a familiar U shape formed a few inches from his hand.

"Is that a horse shoe?" Jack asked, before it shot towards him and knocked him out cold.

Note: Okay, so the outline helped some, but it looks like this will be more chapters than I planned. I'm sure y'all are disappointed by that (not). :-) Sorry this one was late. My older brother's birthday was last weekend and I just kept losing track of time. Thanks for the read and as always, I'd love to hear you're feedback!


	3. Fixing a Break

"What did you do to me?" Jack asked groggily. He was on his back in some abandoned bar with the Leprechaun; beyond that Jack was fuzzy on the details.

"Sorry about that, lad. Packed a bit more punch than I anticipated." The Leprechaun said contritely as he helped Jack into a sitting position. "My magic is all about luck. I can direct it towards fixing a problem, but there are side effects."

"Side effects?" Jack asked as the room spun once more around on him.

"Well, you're feeling it, fella." Paddy said by way of explanation. When Jack could focus, he glared at the Leprechaun. "Okay, so the good luck I used on you to fix your leaky powers also came with some bad luck. Can't pick up one end of a horseshoe without grabbing the other, if you take my meaning."

"So I feel lousy..." Jack started to stand up, but couldn't quite get his feet beneath him.

Paddy kept a firm hand on his shoulder to keep Jack down. "...Because you got a sudden influx of bad luck. Since I was fixing something within you, the bad luck went in you too and wreaked havoc on your health. It'll pass though." Somehow Jack felt less than comfortable considering his current vulnerability.

"So you hit me with bad and good luck?" Jack asked thickly.

Paddy sighed. "Yeah. Hit you really hard by the looks of it. Sorry to say, by the way. I could have delayed the bad luck a bit and I should have in hindsight. Trouble is when you do that the results are even less predictable. The building might have collapsed, the floor might have broken beneath you..."

"The Guardians could have shown up. Yes, I get it now." Jack said, regaining some measure of his senses. He waved off the Leprechaun and got to his feet shakily.

"Doing alrighty now?" Paddy asked.

"Yeah, when will I be able to use my powers again?" Jack shook his head as he asked Paddy.

"You're seriously depleted and worse, your body has been running on low power for such a while that it had to nearly shut down your powers just to keep going. With luck you'll be at about, oh I'd say 8% power after a good night's rest. You'll regenerate slowly at first, especially since you're not in your season. Once you hit the Antarctic you should regenerate faster. Like I said, though, it'll be months before you're back at full power." Paddy wasn't looking Jack in the eye. Jack kept trying to catch his gaze, but the Leprechaun was evading him.

"What's wrong, Paddy?" Jack asked.

The Leprechaun started, looked at Jack and away again. Finally he managed a response. "Just a bit of a niggling in my brain, don't fret yourself about it."

Jack crossed his arms and moved in front of Paddy. "What is it, Paddy?"

Paddy sighed and looked at Jack. "I've been trying to piece together what went wrong with your powers and even being out of season there are a few things that don't add up. From what Bunny told me, you were at full power over in Australia during the cold snap. Then a month and a half out of season and you're near fully drained?"

Jack took a step back and thought it out. "Groundhog said I might have been cursed, but he thought it was very unlikely."

Paddy snorted. "I should say it is. With the bad luck I could have done it, but I'd have had to touch you to push that much into it. Then you'd have a sea of good luck waiting to crash down on you and likely undo whatever I could have done. Fact is, I haven't seen an immortal or magical creature that could do this in more than a few years."

"You don't think I'm cursed?" Jack asked hopefully.

Paddy looked at him woefully. "I can't rule it out. But I don't know who could have done it. Strong immortals and creatures tend to belong to one of the many groups out there. You're old pals the Guardians, there's Mother Nature's Court of Seasons, and a few of the older races that still scrape out a living in this world. Might even be witches, although that's least likely as no one has seen one in over three hundred years."

Experimentally, Jack made a motion like he was reaching for something. His staff materialized in his hand.

"Careful." Paddy cautioned. "You strain yourself too much and you might start leaking power out again."

Jack flipped backwards into the air and stood on his staff like it was a hovering surfboard. "Speaking of which, why do you think that happened in the first place?"

"Hard to say, really. It might have been strain, or psychological trauma. Or any other number of factors and combinations thereof. Just take it slow." Paddy warned again. "I don't want to have to hit you with another blast of luck." Paddy's eyes followed Jack as he made an experimental circuit around the room.

"Funny enough, I don't want you to have to do that either." Jack decided finally as he stepped off of his staff, coming to rest in front of Paddy again. "It's not so much of a struggle anymore at least."

"Rest here for the night and then take your little journey to the Antarctic. With any luck, you'll be back to yourself again in less time than you'd think." Jack doubted that, but wasn't going to bring that up. His luck had been pretty bad lately. But then again, Paddy himself had said that good follows bad and vice versa. Maybe this was the beginning of his winning streak.

"I don't care what you did, WHY did you do it?!" Tooth snarled angrily.

Paddy felt that his luck had run out. "I took a chance on him. There are too many holes in the story for me to believe that boy could have hurt someone he cared about."

"The evidence at the time was pretty convincing." Tooth said. "And he's managed to con the Groundhog into helping him, so I guess I'm not surprised he got you too. I just wish you hadn't been so helpful. Now we have no way of tracking him."

Paddy sighed in frustration. "Haven't you been listening to me Toothiana? The boy is heading south to the Antarctic. He'll set up somewhere down there for a few months."

Tooth nearly slugged the Leprechaun in the face. She just barely managed to suppress it. Sandy patted her elbow to help her calm down. She sighed, looking about ready to cry. Unfortunately for the Leprechaun, he sneezed at this moment and drew attention back to himself. Luckily, though she looked less likely to kill him now. "Do you have any idea how big the Antarctic is? We could search for months and still miss him."

"There might be a way. But you promise me on your word as a Guardian that you will help Jack clear his name? You won't stop him at any point as long as he doesn't harm another mortal." Paddy said keenly.

Tooth answered quickly. "Yes, yes."

The Leprechaun wasn't about to let that slide. "No, I need to hear it from your lips." The Tooth Fairy gave him a withering glare. "And keep your hand where I can see them."

She huffed, raised her hands, and repeated his earlier words. "I, Toothiana, Ruler of the Tooth Fairies and Guardian of Childhood Memories do hereby promise you, Leprechaun, that I will help Jack Frost clear his name if it so be that he is innocent. I further promise to not stand in Jack's way so long as no harm comes to another mortal. Happy?"

The Leprechaun grinned. The Tooth Fairy always kept her promises, so he wasn't worried. Especially since he'd taken the extra step of having her show her hands so she couldn't cross her fingers. "Well, then you'll have my word, Tooth Fairy, that I have someone to reintroduce you to. Fair warning, though. It's not likely he'll be glad to see either of you. Then again, you might not be so enthused yourselves.

Note: Figured since the last chapter was a bit short, I'd give y'all this one a bit early. Another small chapter, but this is a good enough stopping point for the moment. Next chapter will feature an all new immortal meeting Jack as he takes his trip down South. Thanks for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I do appreciate each review and the encouragement they provide.


	4. Breaking Mid-Air

"You were right, Paddy." Tooth said angrily. "I'm not very enthused."

"That makes two of us. Or should we count the mute? Two and a half then?" The Boogeyman responded acidly.

Golden whips erupted from Sandy's hands and Pitch flinched backwards a step.

Paddy stepped between them. "Everyone take a deep breath, okay? Let's focus on why we're here." He turned to Tooth and Sandy. "Look, you tracked Jack to my tavern because his power was leaking out of him and affecting the dreams of children. Now that I fixed that, you need another way to track him. Here's your best chance."

"How are we supposed to trust him?"

"Why would I work with the Guardians?"

Both questions rang out simultaneously. Paddy sighed and explained. "You can trust him because he has lost a ton of power since your last battle with him." When the Bogeyman cried out in protest, Paddy silenced him. "And YOU need to find out how you lost power too. What better way than to study another immortal with a power loss problem?"

"What do you mean, he's lost power too?" Tooth asked. "He's the embodiment of fear. We broke his power source when we fought but it should have grown back eventually."

Paddy answered. "You didn't just break his power source, you turned it against him. Something made that inversion permanent. He can sense fear still, but he can't tell what they are specifically unless he has physical contact."

Sullenly, Pitch Black muttered. "This is what I get for trusting a Leprechaun."

Paddy turned on him again. "Do you want to find out what went wrong or not?" If looks could kill, the Leprechaun would be obliterated by the glare Pitch gave him. Unfazed, Paddy glared back.

Pitch relented."Fine, how about a truce." He extended a hand towards Tooth, who ignored it and stared at Paddy.

Paddy turned back to Tooth. "You promised to help Jack. Can't do that if you can't find him. So take the Boogeyman with you. If my word isn't enough to convince you, then maybe I should give you a little extra insurance."

Unconvinced, Tooth responded. "What do you mean, insurance."

"I have a weapon that once beat the king of nightmares a long time ago. It belonged to the bodyguard of the Man in the Moon." Paddy answered.

"You can't be serious. How did you get it?" Tooth asked.

"That is another story for another time. I'll give it to you and you will have a backup plan in case Pitch gets any clever ideas." Paddy ducked under the bar for a moment and pulled a long box out. "Do we have a deal?"

It had been nearly two months since Paddy helped Jack and he spent most of that time on foot. He just didn't like mortal transportation methods. But when he stopped in a south Mexican cantina he realized it was nearly the end of October. That made his decision for him, he had to catch a plane.

Unfortunately, by some miserable fluke, he'd boarded the wrong flight. He should have known to double check everything, especially when he was flying from a Mexican airline. Jack huffed, expelling some ice crystals in a puff out of his pulled up hoodie. A child stared at the crystals before they disappeared. Jack started, he hadn't meant to draw attention to himself.

Vanishing into the crowd before the child could put together what was going on, Jack decided to make the most of his stay in Rio de Janeiro. The next flight south wasn't for a few days. He might as well enjoy the sights. It had been a few decades since his last trip to Rio and a lot had changed. So many new buildings, so much activity, and after a jaunt around the city Jack figured out why.

The people were celebrating Finados, Brazil's Day of the Dead. Although he'd never really encountered the spirit of this particular holiday, he'd heard stories about La Calavera Catrina. The skeletal woman was well known in Mexico thanks to a certain artist that she'd made a believer somehow. It wasn't often that she traveled outside of her home country, but Catrina jealously guarded her holiday.

However, it wasn't La Catrina that Jack bumped into that day, but another immortal altogether. At first, Jack thought the figure was a rather tasteless celebrant with his face covered by a grinning skeletal mask. Then Jack realized he wasn't part of any procession or group and his mask was more than a little out of place in the somber, dignified way that Brazilians celebrated Finados. Actually, when he looked at the mask again, it looked more like a character from The Nightmare Before Christmas, from what he could remember from when he'd watched it with Jamie.

Ignoring the dull throb in his chest from remembering Jamie again, Jack went to investigate the strange figure. After following for a few blocks, Jack had just about worked up the nerve to confront the stranger when he disappeared around a corner. Jack bolted forward to keep the figure in sight, tearing around the corner with a little help from the wind. He stopped dead in his tracks when he realized he'd walked into a dead end. Brick walls surrounded him on three sides and behind him he heard a voice.

"Who are you? How can you see me?" The voice was a touch deeper than his. Jack steeled himself as he turned around. Yep, there stood the mysterious skeleton-masked stranger.

Out of habit, Jack fell back on his own dry punkish attitude. "I could ask you the same question." He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall to his left. If he just had his hood up, he would be the picture of nonchalance.

The stranger wasn't buying it. Eyes narrowed on his face from behind the white mask. Jack felt a slight shiver of unease run down his spine. "Barefoot. Blue hoodie with white snowflake marks. White hair. You're Jack Frost."

"Okay, my turn." Jack said snidely. "Nondescript black boots. Black pants and a particularly grungy looking gray hoodie. White skull mask." Jack paused for effect. "Yeah, I have no idea who you are."

The stranger held up his hand towards Jack with the palm facing skyward. Jack flinched back and took up a defensive posture. In a flash of orange, a carved smiling pumpkin appeared in his palm. Jack relaxed. "A pumpkin?"

The figure nodded. "Well, a pumpkin bomb." Without warning, Jack saw the pumpkin fly towards him. Quickly, Jack summoned a shield of ice just barely strong enough to withstand the blast. He heard laughter echo in the alley. Jack looked through his shield and saw the figure take to the air.

Throwing caution and his ice shield to the wind, Jack launched himself skyward to give chase. He summoned his staff as he went, intent on striking back at his fleeing assailant. His opponent was going for height over evasion, to Jack's initial delight.

Feeling his connection with the wind, Jack tried telling the wind to pull the other flying immortal back to him. After a few tries, Jack realized it wasn't working for some reason. Putting on an extra burst of speed, he got into the wake of the other flyer and could feel what the problem was. Jack controlled the North Wind, which was characteristically cold. His opponent had to have control over the West Wind, judging from the lukewarm wake he flew in now. This had to mean he was a seasonal, not a holiday, spirit. Just like me, Jack thought, but for the Fall.

Jack was closing in on his target. Unfortunately, the other spirit looked over his shoulder and saw Jack bearing in on him. Suddenly, the masked figure dropped out of the sky. Jack stopped in surprise for a moment and then followed suit, going into a dive straight back towards the earth.

As he fell, pumpkin bombs were shot back up ay Jack. He managed to blast them away before they exploded in his face. As he knocked yet another pumpkin away with his staff, Jack looked down towards his opponent. The masked spirit was nowhere to be seen, just the ground of a graveyard coming towards him very quickly.

Jack pulled up going from his headfirst dive into a standing position. He threw all the power he could muster into slowing his descent. Below him in the graveyard, multiple groups of people stood at various graves, honoring their dearly departed. The wind from Jack's efforts pulled at decorations and scattered flowers. The people braced themselves against the sudden gusts, some cursing softly in Portuguese.

Jack just barely managed to stop a few scant feet from the ground. When he did, he lost connection to the wind and fell the remaining few feet, landing softly on the grass. Jack fell to his knees, momentarily too weak to stand after all his exertions. He heard the laugh again and turned where he sat to see the masked immortal approaching.

"You're alright, Frost. But to be honest I expected better." Jack pulled himself upright with some help from his staff. "Woah, hold on." His opponent said, hands raised in a gesture of peace. "I just wanted to test you out. Some rumors said you'd lost your touch and I wanted to see if they were true."

"Who are you?" Jack asked, just now managing to catch his breath.

"My apologies, it was rude of me. I have a few names; tell me which one you prefer." The man starting counting off on his fingers as he spoke. "Tricker Treat, Sam Hain..."

Jack interrupted him. "Fairly sure that last pun is based on a mispronunciation."

Eyes rolled behind the mask. "Fine. How about Hal O'Ween?"

"Who came up with that? The Leprechaun?" Jack asked derisively.

"Actually, yes." Jack rolled his eyes now. "Well? Any of those okay with you?"

"What do you call yourself?" Jack asked.

"Jack O'Lantern." He answered. "Jacko for short."

"Jacko works." Jack answered. "I'd say nice to meet you, but it has been pretty rough on me, actually."

Jacko shifted uneasily. "Sorry. Guess we both overdid it." They both looked around and saw the groups around them collecting scattered flowers and fixing decorations.

"Do you have somewhere we can go. I'm not fond of graveyards." Jack said evenly. He took a step towards Jacko but nearly lost his balance. He gripped his staff tightly. In a flash, Jacko was there, pulling Jack's arm over his shoulder and steadying him with an arm around his waist. Jack tried pulling away, but he was gripped more tightly.

"Let me help you." Jacko said sincerely. "It's my fault for pushing you this far." Jack gave up and let the immortal lead him out of the graveyard and down the street. They turned down the dead end alley where they'd first met and Jack resisted again. Again, he failed to free himself. "It's okay, my place is hidden here." He explained.

"Let's get you inside. You can rest up and we can get better acquainted." He reached out and tapped at a brick. The false wall disappeared and a door emerged and opened.

NOTE: Well, there we are! Next chapter, expect some more fun with Pitch Black! Also, we'll get to know a bit more about Jacko including the origins of his mask. Will Pitch be able to track Jack, even with his own power failure? Stay tuned...er follow or favorite to find out! Lol, thanks for the read and as always, feel free to review!


	5. Taking A Break

A/N: OK, so I'm breaking my moratorium on opening Author's Notes just so I can make a small clarification. Yeah, I probably should have chosen a different name for Jack O'Lantern (believe me, Hal O'Ween was a front-runner for about a week) but none of the other names I came up with sounded as good to me. There's hey rich history behind the Jack O'Lantern name and I wanted to tap that a bit for the story. So, just so we don't confuse Jack Frost with Jack O'Lantern anytime you see Jack it generally means Jack Frost. I'll refer to Jack O'Lantern by either Jacko or O'Lantern. I'm fairly sure it won't be an issue but just in case, there you have it. Now from the story.

Jack Frost looked around at the inside of the magical space. It was no bigger than your typical studio apartment, but it looks fairly welcoming. His host, Jack O'Lantern helped him sit down on a surprisingly comfortable couch. "What is this place?"

Jacko straightened himself as he spoke. "It's my home." Jack's eyes narrowed and his host relented. "Okay, yes I know what you actually meant. Think of it as a magical mobile home. When I want to move the place, I just turn the doorknob the left three times and it detaches from the wall. Whenever I want to set it back up, I put the knob on a wall and it attaches automatically."

"Did you make that?" Jack asked, having never heard of such a thing.

"No, I got it from Paddy." Jacko answered.

"He's never mentioned you." Jack said shortly. Even Jack couldn't say exactly why he was so short-tempered with O'Lantern. Maybe it was because of their fight just a few minutes ago. Jack had chased the mysterious masked figure through the skies of Rio de Janeiro. Of course, he over exerted himself; Jack's powers were still recovering and Rio was not in the middle of it's cold season.

Jacko put his hood down, but curiously left the mask on. He ran his hand through his slightly shaggy brown hair. "Well, I'm kinda new. This is my first true season and it's been...interesting getting used to my powers. Not to mention the number of other immortals!"

Jacko pulled up a chair across from his guest and started speaking very animatedly. Jack envied his energy. "So there I was, on a beach in Alaska, and I start walking around. I get to be nearby town and tried talking to the locals but of course..."

"They went right through you, completely unaware of your presence." Jack said ruefully, remembering his own very similar experience.

"Right! Well, just as I'm about to freak out, who walks out of the local pub? Some little Irish guy dressed in green. And he look straight at me!" Jack noticed the smile on O'Lantern's mask seemed just a touch bigger than he remembered.

"He start talking to me, albeit a bit tipsy from the drinking he'd been doing, and he takes me back to his place. Paddy explained everything; he was really patient, even with my more obvious questions. I spent the night with him and he wakes me up the next morning. The guy is an obscenely cheerful morning person for someone who drinks like he does!" Jack smiled. O'Lantern was a very animated kind of person, gesticulating as he spoke and looking like he could back flip out of the chair at any moment. Privately, Jack wondered just how old the guy was under the mask.

"My clothes were a bit ragged looking so he offered me a change of clothes but just as I touch the new outfit, the clothes I'm wearing change to match it!" This time Jacko did jump out of his chair. His outfit rippled like the wind was blowing through it. Suddenly, his grey hoodie changed to a familiar shade of blue as his pants became a bit more form-fitting and brown. His shoes disappeared and Jack saw O'Lantern's bare feet. As white frost marks drew themselves across the outfit, Jacko turned around in place to show off his replica of Jack Frost's usual garb. Even his hair had to changed to match Jack's pure white locks.

"Okay, that's pretty cool." Jack admitted finally.

"I know, right?" Jacko said, his mask getting slightly rosy-cheeked as if it could blush. "But it wasn't all fun." Jacko said as he sat back down, his clothes changing into an all black version of Jack's outfit with silver frost marks. His mask definitely changed with his emotions; now O'Lantern was looking sad.

"My powers were very strong when they manifested. I really banged myself up pretty badly. Luckily, the Leprechaun was there when I tried them out and he was able to do a bitch of healing, but I was knocked out for about a day." Having had a taste of Paddy's healing abilities, Jack whistled. His injuries would have been pretty bad to need so much good luck. Especially if the bad luck afterward knocked out an immortal for a full day. Jack had only been out for a few hours at most after Paddy fixed Jack's leaking a power problem.

"When I woke up, I found myself on Mother Nature's Island. She'd worked a bit of magic on me and that's how I got this." He waved his hand over his mask dramatically and the skull face changed into Jacko's namesake. It even glowed like there was a flickering candle inside of it.

Jack marveled at the change. "Can you take it off?"

At his question, the light in the mask dimmed and the pumpkin's goofy carved smile drooped into a frown. "Unfortunately no. Taking it off would release all of my power again and I would have no control over it."

Jack grimaced, partly in sympathy for the other immortal and a little bit for himself. He'd really wanted to see the face under the mask. Fleetingly, he wondered who Jacko might have been out as a mortal, but he pushed that thought away before he drove himself insane. Jamie is gone, Jack told himself, there's no use hoping he'd show up like this! Unaware how his thoughts were affecting his expression, Jack started when O'Lantern tapped Jack's knee.

"Sorry you looked like you were hurting. How do you feel?" The look of concern on the pumpkin mask was comical and Jack had to compose himself before speaking to keep himself from laughing.

"I'm fine. I just got stuck in my own head a bit." Jack smiled reassuringly, but the skeptical look the other immortal was giving him told Jack that he wasn't really buying it.

In spite of his skepticism, Jacko graciously changed subjects. "Look at me! I give you my whole life story and I completely forgets my manners. Mother Nature would be ashamed." Jacko leapt out of his chair again and headed towards the small kitchen area. "Do you want something to drink? Maybe a small snack? I have a few odds and ends around here for when I feel like having a bite."

In no time at all, Jacko had two glasses of water and a pumpkin bucket. He set it all down on the small table between himself and Jack. "Is that...?"

"Yeah, Halloween candy." O'Lantern said as he picked up a glass.

Leaning forward to take his own glass, Jack brushed fingers with his host, who'd been in the act of handing Jack the drink. They both nearly dropped the glass before Jack got a firm grip on it. Both guys blushed. Desperate to speak about anything, Jack leaned over the pumpkin. "Figures. So your holiday is Halloween? What are you doing in Rio?"

"Traditions around here are starting to shift. Finidos is celebrated less, especially in the city. People want to let loose and Halloween is all about the fun. It's starting to catch on around here, So I came down to see what I could do to help that out." Jacko sat down on the couch and took a drink. Jack wasn't sure he liked the proximity.

"So what's a holiday in immortal doing with control of the West Wind?" Jack asked, leaning back with a few selections from the pumpkin bucket.

Jacko nearly choked on his drink. Taking a few moments to compose himself, he responded. "You can tell the difference between winds?"

Jack eyed his host as he bit into the first chocolate. it was really good, even Bunny would have admitted it. "Yeah, temperature helps and then I made an educated guess. I figured with your get up you'd be Fall season oriented, if nothing else. But if you have a holiday, well holiday immortals don't usually have a win d to call. So?"

Wiping himself off with a napkin from the end table, Jacko decided to answer him. "It was Mother Nature's gave me the West Wind so I could get around."

Jack was a bit surprised. Mother Nature wasn't known for her generosity. "She just gave you the West Wind?"

Jacko scratched the back of his neck as he answered. "Well, I had to join her court but..."

"You're a member of the Court of Seasons?" Jack asked incredulously.

Jacko looked rather offended. "What? you saying someone like me couldn't become a member of the court?"

Jack snorted. "There's a difference between seasonal immortals and holiday immortals. Seasonal immortals like me aren't tied down to a make or break holiday, like Bunny and Easter. The trade-off there being that we are not as strong as a holiday immortal on their holiday, but we are more consistently powerful any other day of the year. She tried getting me to join a few decades ago, but I turned her down."

O'Lantern leaned back and took a drink. Jack figured that would have been difficult considering the mask, but there was less water when he set the drink back down. "Why'd you turn down an offer from Mother Nature?"

Jack sighed. He could still remember Nature's expression when he turned her down even after all the decades since. "I wanted someone, some mortal, to believe in me. If they could see me, know me, it would mean the world to me. I wasn't convinced she wanted to help me with that. Mother Nature nearly always has a hidden agenda."

The look on Jacko's mask was one of confusion. Jack clarified. "Not that I think she's bad or evil, I just don't think our goals matched." O'Lantern looks a bit less confused, but now Jack couldn't begin to guess what the strange immortal was thinking. Which reminded Jack of how little he knew that guy. "So what about your life before?"

The confusion was back. "Before what?"

Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Do you remember your life before you were an immortal?"

O'Lantern's pumpkin mask turned a pale creamy yellow. "What do you mean?"

Jack was painfully reminded of a similar conversation between himself and the Tooth Fairy years ago. "Jacko, every immortal was a mortal before they were chosen. You have a life just like the people around here, maybe with a family and friends and who knows what else?"

Jacko stood up suddenly, shakily. "I think it's time for you to leave."

Jack got to his feet less quickly, but more firmly than he had before. "Listen, I'm sorry if this comes as a shock, but I know someone who can..."

Jacko's mask darkened to a burnt orange, the light shining through his eyes, nose, and mouth turned red. "I said OUT, Frost!"

Feeling in no mood to deal with an immortal likely much stronger than himself at the moment, Jack walked calmly to the door. O'Lantern made no move to follow him. Jack paused after he opened the door and turned back. "Look, if you want those memories back..." This time he was caught by a blast of wind that pushed him out of the door and slamed the door after him.

Heatedly, Jack stood up and brushed himself off. He looked back at the slamed door and noticed the knob. With a mischievous grin, Jack decided to play a prank on the angered immortal. He turned the knob to the left three times and it fell off of the wall and into his hand. Resolving to release Jacko in a few days, Jack put the knob in his hoodie pocket and took to the air.


	6. Break-In

Jack woke up in his new Antartic digs. The abandoned research facility had made a pretty fair home after a bit of stabilization in the form of ice pillars and walls. Time had done a number on the place, though, and at Jack's current power level it was beyond him to do anything about the huge amounts of snow covering the place. Not that uncovering it would suit his purposes, he still wanted to lay low and avoid attracting attention from either mortals or Guardians.

The Antartic had been great for Jack, he felt better with each passing day. Paddy had been right, though, the recovery was frustratingly slow. The Leprechaun had admitted as much when he told Jack that his powers had been broken and leaking. Jack still dreaded that he might have been cursed somehow. His only hope was that he would feel strong enough with time and then he would have to track down Mother Nature.

He looked at the door knob on his bedside table. Jack had meant to let the Halloween spirit out on his way South, but two thoughts had occurred. First, when he did let Jack O'Lantern out, the other immortal would be incredibly pissed off. Jack knew he wasn't strong enough yet to face another angry immortal. Second, Jack had to figure out a way to get back in Jacko's good graces enough that the other immortal would help him find Mother Nature. Jacko was a member of her Court of Seasons, after all. As of yet, he had no idea how to make things right with Jacko and he knew the problem would only get worse with time.

His thoughts returned to the dreams he'd had. For the first time in too long, they had actually been pleasant. Up until last night whenever Jack had dreamed he'd been plagued with the memories of his last moments with Jamie. Jamie was more than just his first believer; they had been bonded with love. But when he had needed him most, Jack had flown off into the night.

Instead of those last moments, of seeing the hurt and fear in Jamie's eyes, Jack had relived the happier times. He'd remembered holding Jamie in his arms, dancing with Jamie in a meadow, and getting over his fear of water and drowning with his love at his side. Those moments brought happy tears to his eyes, even now. Then he realized what having those good dreams really meant and he grew alert in the cold darkness.

"Sandy." Jack said quietly, casting his eyes around until the short figure appeared in his doorway. The mute golden man waved in response.

Suddenly, the shadows behind the Sandman coalesced into a tall dark figure. When he saw the pale, sneering face of the Nightmare King, Jack jumped out of bed, summoning his staff. He put all of his strength into blasting Pitch Black, the Boogeyman, away from his old friend Sandy. Pitch flinched backwards, but no eruption of black dreamsand grew up in front of him to block Jack's strike. Instead, it was Sandy's own golden dreamsand that flew up to protect Pitch from Jack's attack.

"Sandy?" Jack asked, mystified at the response.

The Sandman walked around the solid wave of dreamsand and ice. Pitch appeared around the other side. The Boogeyman decided to make light of the situation, to no one else's amusement. "Not quite as impressive as the one we made all those years ago." He said as he inspected the frozen sand. "Too bright. Not to mention far less impressive! Didn't you put your all into 'protecting' your little dream-maker?" Pitch's expression was a sickening mix of menace and innocence. Jack wanted nothing more than to punch the dark figure in the face.

Ignoring the taunt, Jack sighed and looked at Sandy. "Why did you stop me? Don't tell me you've joined up with him?" Sandy tried communicating with a flurry of gestures and images in dreamsand above his head. Jack picked out a shamrock, a staff, and a few punctuation marks but it was still a mystery. Unfortunately, Jack had never been very good at interpreting Sandy.

"Ooh, let me explain!" Pitch said gleefully.

"No, let me!" Toothiana flew in around the ice wave and scowled at Pitch. In her hand was a thin staff with a blade at the end that looked like it was made of light. She brandished the weapon at Pitch. "I told you to wait until Sandy was ready for us." Her voice was slightly higher than normal and when she finally was still for a few seconds, Jack noticed that she was smaller than usual.

"Are you okay, Tooth?" Jack asked in spite of himself. He knew he should be fighting them and trying to flee but seeing Sandy with Pitch and a smaller Tooth Fairy than normal had completely thrown him off. He had been expecting yeti's with burlap sacks or a sudden boomerang to the face.

Tooth turned to Jack and frowned in confusion. Then it dawned on her the reason for Jack's concern. "Oh, I'm fine. This is just a smaller version of me; I can split myself up when I need to. I don't like doing it usually but Sandy needed back up to track you down and I definitely couldn't leave everything to the little fairies. So I'm in two places at once." Jack looked apprehensive at her admission of following him here; Tooth decided to start over.

"Okay, let me try again from the top." Pitch leaned against the ice formation, looking bored. Sandy created a golden dreamsand couch and motioned for Jack to join him. Jack sat at the end of his bed, unsure of how much he could trust any of the three immortals in front of him. "We'll start with the letter North got from Sophie. As I'm sure you'd understand, it was a shock. I'll spare you the more unpleasant details and say that North should have waited to send his response. He gathered the Guardians and we decided to track you down and get your side of the story. But just as we were deciding on who should track you, Manny showed up."

Jack's head spun at the speed of these revelations. Especially the last one. "Hold on, you mean the Man in the Moon actually physically showed up on Earth? What could possibly be that important?"

Tooth smiled nervously. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but you." Jack was glad he was sitting down, he was shaking. Why hadn't Manny appeared to him personally if he was so important? Tooth continued. "He came to warn us about two things. First, to not attack you. Manny trusts in you to clear your name."

Tooth paused a moment and Jack seized the opportunity. "What? He couldn't tell me this himself? I've been looking over my shoulder for you guys, living like a mortal for the most part. I was so worried that I'd wake up one day and see North and his swords or Bunny and his boomerangs! That's the whole reason I fled SOUTH for crying out loud! My powers have been on the rocks for months all because I went South to stay away from you all. And all of that even though it would have been easier to go up to Canada or the North Pole!"

Pitch's laugh cut right across Jack's raw nerves. He'd forgotten the Boogeyman's presence, something he intended to never do again. "I thought so!" Pitch said triumphantly. He turned to see two current and one former Guardian glaring at him. With an effort Pitch pulled himself together and fell silent, although he couldn't seem to rid himself of the condescending smile he'd taken on.

"Anyways..." Tooth started again. "Manny told us that the moon wasn't out the night Jamie's ship sank, so even he couldn't be sure what had happened. It didn't look good at first, Jack, especially with the icebergs. But he did see you search without resting for a week straight afterwards. As for appearing to you himself, well, when he decided to do so, you disappeared. It's been difficult to track you, as I'm sure you intended what with the plan the Groundhog made."

Jack smirked resentfully. "Should have known he would sell me out."

"He didn't. Not until we told him why we were after you. I don't know how you did it, Jack, but you actually gained his trust. It was difficult for us to get him to talk about you, and he and Sandy have been friends for ages. I didn't even know you were that close to him. Let alone that he would help you with ways to avoid us."

"He didn't trust me at first." Jack admitted. "Our relationship wasn't good until I saw him in San Francisco. I thought you guys would get in my way. So yeah, I've been avoiding moonlight, traveling by foot or mortal transport and avoiding children."

Silence fell between them. Jack decided to change subjects. "So you said Manny told you two things. One was to not attack me. What was the second?"

"The second was to find out why certain immortals are losing power. You're not the only one, Jack. Pitch has been affected too, in case you couldn't tell." At this, Pitch tried for a menacing glare, but they all ignored him. "It started with the beginning of the year. First Baby New Year, then Cupid, next the May Queen, and then you and Pitch. This power outage has been a big problem. If we don't find the cause then there's no telling who could..."

Jack cut her off rudely. "I get all that. What does that have to do with tracking me? Sounds like you've had no shortage of text subjects, isn't there a pattern?"

Tooth sighed in frustration. "That's the problem. There's not one common denominator aside from the fact you all were cursed. As for test subjects, the May Queen and Cupid turned us down flat. Baby New Year agreed to a test after we got Pitch and that's why we've come for you now after all these months of trying to track you since Paddy fixed your leaking powers."

"We think we can fix you. You'll be as good as new afterwards, back to one hundred percent after only one treatment." Tooth said with a dazzling smile.

"What's the catch?" Jack asked, eyes narrowing.

Tooth hesitated. Pitch sighed and filled in the blank. "Haven't you been paying attention? I'm the catch! You'll need my help to get your powers back to normal."

Jack decided he really hated seeing Pitch smile. "Why would I trust you?"

Pitch pushed off from the ice he'd leaned against and taunted Jack. "What, are you afraid, Jack Frost?"

Jack glared back defiantly. "You tell me."

Pitch's eyes shifted away. Discomfort and uncertainty ran through every dark line in the Nightmare King's body. Jack's eyebrows shot up. "Don't tell me you can't even sense fear?"

Pitch's gaze was back on Jack, hatred practically shooting out from his dark eyes. "I can sense it just fine. It's how I found you, after all. I just need a little physical contact to figure out exactly what's eating at you, Frost. Care to try?" He extended his hand towards Jack, challenging him to grasp it.

Jack looked at Toothiana for confirmation. She turned to Pitch, holding up the staff again. "Stick to the plan, Nightmare King, or I stick this in you!" On closer inspection, Jack noticed certain similarities to a weapon older than he was.

"Isn't that...?" Jack started to ask.

Tooth finished his sentence. "Nightlight's staff? Yes, it is. And it's more than equal to the challenge of keeping a little fear at bay." Pitch backed away from the staff as Tooth shook it at him.

"We do this like we did with Baby New Year. Sandy is going to put you under and Pitch is going to draw out your deepest, darkest fears. From what we can tell, the curse uses those fears to block your powers and keep them from regenerating naturally." Tooth explained.

"And you've tried this before?" Jack asked hesitantly, unwilling to believe it could be so simple.

Toothiana shifted uncomfortably. "Well, we did this with Baby New Year. As the year goes on, he's supposed to age rapidly, but when we got to him he was still a toddler. We couldn't get much information out of him but he agreed to let us try to help him." Tooth shook, remembering the encounter. It still didn't sit well with her that she had to unleash Pitch on the poor youthful looking immortal. "Unfortunately, his deepest fears were pretty dark and he's been...asleep ever since."

"Like a coma?" Jack asked, stunned.

"No, more like hibernation, I guess. At least, that's what Groundhog said. But New Year was aging pretty rapidly. By the time we get back, I'm sure he'll be about normal. He's actually not bad looking in the fall." Tooth admitted.

Before she could regale him with stories of New Year's teeth, Jack finally voiced his distrust. "Why do you want to help me? I still could be some horrible, bondmate killing monster! Why would I trust any of you, let alone the being of pure evil we all fought all those years ago?"

"You don't trust us?" The tears in Tooth's eyes seemed very genuine to Jack and he hated himself in that moment for hurting Tooth like that. She lowered her eyes. "No, I guess you wouldn't. I know it doesn't mean as much as if North was saying it, but I believe you. More than that, so does Manny, Groundhog, and even Paddy. Paddy even went so far as to make me swear to help you."

Jack looked at Sandy, who nodded. Tooth spoke again. "If you'll take it, you have that promise from me. On my word of honor as the Tooth Fairy, Guardian of Childhood Memories, that I am here to help you, Jack Frost. You also have Sandy's word - so to speak - that he will not allow Pitch to inflict more than is necessary on you to fix what has been done against you." Sandy nodded solemnly.

The both extended their hands. Jack was overcome with emotion. He knew that they couldn't go back on their words as Guardians, North had explained the power that having their words of honor meant. Instead of taking their hands, he grabbed them both in a hug. Light flashed around them, sealing their promise. Jack felt tears in his eyes. For the first time in months, he felt like he had at least part of his family back.


	7. Break Through Part 1

"You won't be alone, by the way." Tooth said brightly. She stood at the foot of Jack's bed as he tried to make himself comfortable. "Sandy is going to be the link between you and Pitch, since Pitch can't get into dreams anymore."

"Rub it in, pixie." Pitch muttered, earning a meaningful glare from the Tooth Fairy.

"Great, no problem. Just the two biggest names in all of dreams are going to be in my head at the same time? Can't wait." Jack said drily, doing his best to ignore the two figures settling at the edge of his bed. Sandy sat on the edge and held a hand out to Pitch. Reluctantly, Pitch took the dream lord's hand.

Tooth saw through Jack's sarcasm. "Don't be afraid, Jack." She said as Sandy summoned a ball of dreamsand.

Pitch couldn't resist. "Well, not yet anyways." Sandy hit Jack with the sand and the last sound he heard before he fell asleep was Pitch's dark laughter.

He felt incredibly cold and wet. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was fully submerged in the pond he drowned in again. Kicking his way up, he grabbed for the broken surface where he'd fallen in, the moon shining brightly overhead. It took a few tries, the ice around the break was fragile and kept making the hole bigger any time he tried pulling himself out. Finally, he managed to grab a solid edge and he pulled himself out and onto the ice. For the first time in centuries, the cold affected him like any other mortal. His body shook violently and he curled up on the ice, wishing he would just black out already.

Gold dust swept around him and Jack felt a rush of warmth as the dreamsand dried him off and covered him in a golden coat. Getting up onto his hands and knees, Jack looked down. The surface of the ice showed Jack a reflection he only barely remembered. In the light of his dreamsand coat he could see that his hair and eyebrows were a deep brown, his skin almost tan. He stood up quickly and back away from the hole in the ice and his reflection.

"So this is what you looked like all those years ago." Pitch's voice nearly froze Jack all over again. "I have to admit, I had you pegged as more of a ginger." Jack looked up. Pitch was gliding over the surface of the ice. Shivering involuntarily Jack threw a hand up to ward off the boogeyman but the gesture was futile. No ice sprang forth to slow down Pitch Black as he strode confidently towards Jack. Now only an arm's length away, Jack's eyes widened in fear. Pitch lifted a hand towards him.

**_Pitchener, leave him alone. You don't need to touch him now that you are inside his dream._** He didn't hear the words, but Jack felt them in his head. Jack's coat streamed off of him and formed a ball between him and the Boogeyman. Sandy stepped out of the ball and flicked a wrist at Pitch, sending the immortal back a few feet.

"Sandy?" In all the years Jack had known him, the Sandman had never spoken once. Even know, his mouth didn't move as words sprang into his mind again.

_**Here I can speak, not with my voice but with my mind.**_ Sandy 'said' by way of explanation.

"Here, you are interfering with the arrangement. I'm supposed to be showing dear Jack his worst nightmares. Yet, here you are warming him up and giving him comfort." Pitch crossed his arms. "I can't work like this."

_**You are meant to show Jack his fears, not debilitate him to the point of inaction.**_ Sandy said reproachfully.

Pitch threw his arms up. "He got out of the pond, didn't he? That doesn't sound so inactive to me!"

Sandy ignored him and turned to Jack. _**Are you alright?**_ He held a hand up and the dreamsand coat appeared.

He looked down at himself and realized his blue hoodie was missing too. It really was like the day he fell into the pond; he was even wearing the same outfit from over three hundred years ago. Now that he was dry, his winter clothes were keeping him warm like they were meant to. Jack shook his head. "Why do I look like a mortal? I'm even affected by the cold and my powers aren't working."

Sandy turned back to glare at Pitch. _**Care to elaborate on the situation?**_

Pitch sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if dealing with little children. "Isn't it obvious? This is a representation of Jack's fears. It's actually fairly common for an immortal, even a Guardian." His dark eyes fixed onto Jack's and Jack shivered again. "You're afraid of losing your powers completely. You're scared to be mortal."

"And this is what's draining my powers? Sounds a little 'vicious-cycle' to me." Jack said scoffing.

Pitch smirked. "No, this isn't the only fear draining you. I can sense more even bigger fears. Shall we see them?" Pitch's voice was dripping with a menacing joy.

Jack turned to Sandy. "Are you sure we can trust him?"

_**I am here and I am strong. Even if you can't see me, I'll be around.**_ Sandy smiled reassuringly. Jack hesitated. _**Since you can here me, let me reiterate Tooth's words. I, Sanderson Mansnoozie, do promise you, Jack Frost, that I will be there for you to help you with all the power I command as the Sandman, Guardian and Lord of Dreams. He held out his hand.**_ Jack took it instantly and dreamsand swirled around them. When it subsided, Sandy was gone again.

Jack turned to face Pitch. "Okay. What's next?"

Pitch's laugh nearly unnerved him again. "You work in spite of fear, but that isn't all there is to it. As the humans say, the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem."

"You've already said it. I'm afraid of losing my powers." Jack felt the cold around him subside a bit.

"Is that all I said? At least, that's one down, Frost. Care to know how many more are left?" Pitch said tauntingly.

He stamped his foot in frustration. "Stop playing around, Pitch. There's more to it than that, isn't there? You know fear, you must now how to fight it!" Jack's voice grew increasingly hoarse as he spoke. His legs were shaking and as he looked down at himself, he saw wrinkles forming on his hands. Finally, his legs gave out and he saw his face again in the reflection of the pond.

It was a face he'd never even imagined. Wrinkles, droopy skin, and worst of all, he was bald. His eyebrows had gone silver and Jack was fairly sure he'd soiled himself when he fell. "I'm old."

"Look at you, old man Frost. Take away your special powers and eternal youth and what are you? A pathetic waste of space living on borrowed time." Pitch took a few steps toward him as his old heart nearly gave in out of fear.

He wracked his brain. No, Pitch had said something else. It had sounded like a continuation of the fear of losing his powers, but what if it wasn't? "I'm afraid of being mortal. I don't want to grow old."

Pitch sighed and took a step back. Almost reluctantly, he prompted the ancient-looking Jack. "Not just old, Jack. Not just mortal. What is at the center?"

His arms shook and Jack knew it was only a matter of time until he would end up as just a heap of Frost. "I'm afraid of death."

Rolling his eyes, Pitch glared at him. "You've already done that. Remember, it's kinda how you became a spirit?"

Jack shook with the effort of holding his head up to look at the Boogeyman. "No, it's not that kind of death. It's oblivion or the life beyond this or whatever. I'm afraid of that big unknown that every mortal, except us, faces."

Pitch leaned forward, eyes blacker than almost anything Jack could imagine. "Do you feel it? That numbness creeping into your bones is the end. Even we immortals can feel it. Didn't you ever ask Sandy where he was after I shot him in the back? Then again, he probably wouldn't have been able to say it." Pitch laughed at his own joke. "What series of pictures would one even use to describe it?"

_**I remember it, Jack.**_ Sandy's voice rang clear in Jack's slowly darkening head. _**It was horrible. But do you also remember my face before I was completely taken over?**_ Jack brought the memory of that night back up. He saw Sandy go out in a flash of light. My face, Jack, focus. Jack rewound the memory. He had been pretty far away, but he'd kept his eyes on Sandy the whole time. Sandy had fallen to one knee, but then he stood back up. Jack had thought he was going to rally and throw back the darkness creeping over him, but instead Sandy closed his eyes. His face. Sandy looked, peaceful? No, not just that. It was like he accepted…

Jack felt the warmth of the sun. The sound of waves washing over the shore made him open his eyes. He looked around. Then he looked at himself. Blue hoodie, brown pants, no shoes, NO WRINKLES! He almost leapt for joy when he turned and faced Angela Bennett.

His heart leapt, but it lodged itself in his throat. Jamie's mom looked at him with grief and scorn. "I don't know how to feel about you, Jack. I do know how betrayed and hurt Sophie and I have felt; Sophie has even written to Santa." White hot fear tore down Jack's spine at those words. The feeling was just as strong as it had been when he'd heard those words just a few months ago. "More than that, she's gotten a response." Jack's blood chilled; an impressive feat for a winter spirit. He could only imagine what was in either letter, but it was the response that he feared most. "I don't even know why I'm telling you; I should demand that they tear you apart."

Part of him wanted to cry out. The other part wanted to fall into the sand and let the waves wash him away. The numbness of oblivion was looking better now by comparison. He'd grown to love Jamie's family just like his own. Jack loved the Bennett family as much as he loved the Guardians. Now, in one exchange of letters, both families were taken out from underneath him.

Jack turned to fly off. He could only think of fleeing; he had to get away from the people he'd loved who now surely wanted him dead. As he leapt to fly away, however, he crashed back down into the sand again.

"Leaving so soon?" Pitch's voice rang out over the noise of the ocean. Jack whipped his head around to see Pitch standing next to Mrs. Bennett. The Nightmare King reached out and curled Angela's hair back around her ear, exposing her neck.

Jack jumped back up to his feet. "Leave her alone!" Jack said, fury and fear causing him to shake all over again. He shifted his weight nervously.

Undaunted, Pitch caressed Angela's neck with the back of his hand. For her part, Angela seemed frozen; her eyes stuck glaring at Jack unblinkingly. The wind blew in her hair but that was the limit of her movement. "I have to admit, I admire her." Pitch practically cooed lovingly. Jack's stomach turned in disgust.

"She inspired so much fear in you with so few words. With a few sentences, she shattered you Frost. That is incredible; I couldn't have done any better myself!" Pitch moved as if to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"I said leave her alone!" Jack thundered, taking a few steps toward Pitch and throwing a hand towards his foe. Again, nothing happened and Jack curled his hands into fists.

Turning to look at Jack, Pitch smirked in his hateful way. "You would defend her? Even without your powers, you'd protect her?" The boogeyman rolled his eyes, "Very chivalrous of you, but ultimately useless. You've still got no power, Frost. You're still too blocked by fear. And all because of one beautifully…fearsome…mother." Pitch punctuated the last three words with a kiss to Angela's cheek, jaw and neck.

Pulling a dagger out of thin air, Pitch pulled Angela in front of him and held it against her neck. She didn't react, her face still emanated with the grief and hate directed at Jack. "I could help you. One flick of the wrist and she's gone. Mortals are so easy to kill after all."

Jack sank to his knees. "No!"

"Oh, come on, Jack! What are you afraid of?" Pitch's question sank into Jack's brain. Although the nightmare kind hadn't said it to be helpful, the words brought Jack back into focus. What was he afraid of? What was this scene supposed to represent?

"I'm afraid of losing my family. The Guardians. The Bennetts. Both of them took me into their hearts and now they think I betrayed them." Jack said, his heart tearing itself into pieces as Pitch pressed the blade in slightly, drawing a slight hint of blood.

"Oh, boo hoo. Poor little Jack is afraid of his own family. If you think what she can do to your heart is bad, you should wait and see what the Guardians have in store for you. Isn't it better this way?" Pitch asked, holding the knife forward to show the Angela's blood gleaming in the sunlight. "Better to get rid of anyone who can hurt you."

Jack's hands yanked at his hair. "Please, stop! Don't hurt her! It's my fault! I wasn't there for him, Mrs. Bennett. I didn't…"

As if the words were her cue, Angela spoke again. "Save it." She said sharply, stunning both immortals. "It's only a matter of time before the Guardians catch up to you. I can't believe I'm giving you this chance to clear your name, but all I know for sure is that none of this makes sense. If you didn't do it, then you have the rest of my life to prove it. If you did, I trust the Guardians will take care of you." She paused, drawing breath as blood trickled down her neck. "You know where to find me."

Jack's breathing evened out. "I'm afraid of losing her. I'm afraid that I won't have time to tell her that it wasn't me. I'm terrified that her life is so fragile that she'll die before I get to see her look at me with love again. She's more than just Jamie's mom or some mortal in my way. She's my family. I love her like she was my own mother." Angela closed her eyes and disintegrated into golden sand.

The sand whirled into a small cyclone and whips of golden dust flew out and disarmed Pitch. The dagger he'd summoned flew out of his hand. _**You are more powerful than you let on, Pitchener! Sandy said accusatorily.**_ Pitch glared in response, holding his stinging wrist in his other hand.

A/N: Didn't realize this hadn't saved the Italics and Bold that I originally put Sandy's telepathy in, so there's that fixed. Work in progress indeed! Hope to have the next part out soon!


	8. Break Through Part 2

"A little power goes a long way in a dream." Pitch Black said as the dagger he'd summoned vanished into thin air.

_**So you say,**_Sandy said telepathically, _**but I have more than a few doubts. That was a disgusting display a few moments ago.**_ Jack tried not to think about Pitch holding a knife to Jamie's mother's throat, but failed. _**What did you think…?**_

Pitch interrupted the thought. "I thought I was helping him get over his fears. So far, we've done fairly well."

_**So Jack has accepted the fear of death and his feelings towards the Guardians and the Bennett family. How much more is there? You must know how much longer this will take.**_Sandy grabbed Pitch's wrist with one whip and pulled the Boogeyman close. _**I swear to you, Pitchener, that if you place Jack in another situation like that…**_

Pitch had flinched away, but Sandy's words provoked him. He interrupted the Guardian again. "Don't make vows lightly, Sandy. Your words carry far too much power in dreams lately. There's so much more at stake here than one little Guardian, in case you've forgotten. If I have to put Frost through a hundred of those scenarios for him to figure out how to reverse the damage done not only to himself but to other immortals, I will do so." A flash of white light erupted from the ground beneath Pitch and Sandy. In an instant, both immortals were gone.

Stunned, Jack wracked his brain to try and figure out what had just happened. What had that light been? Which of the two immortals had used it? Was he alone in his dream, or were they still watching behind the scenes?

As he tried making sense of the situation, he heard a noise behind him. Turning around, Jack looked on in amazement. A black headstone with silver lettering rose from the sand. After he read the inscription, Jack sank to his knees.

'This stone is to honor Son, Brother, and Adventurer Jaime Bennett, lost at sea.

In Memorium Pruinae.'

Angela Bennett knelt down beside him. "You weren't here when we had this made and laid this down. It took a few months to order it. The company that ran the Adventure Club still owns that stretch of beach and they were very gracious to allow us to put this a few feet above the high tide mark." He turned to look at her. "I'm sorry for pushing you away that day and of all those awful things I said. I was just so confused."

Jack turned back to the headstone, confused in his own right by her sudden reappearance. Was this part of Pitch's plan? She drew a breath and spoke again. "Those last three words were something he wrote in his Journal." She nodded as a book appeared in her lap. "I made him keep it so that he would always remember this time in his life. He hated it, but he did it for me." A tear rolled down her cheek.

Deciding to go with it, Jack spoke to her as if she were real. "What do the words mean?"

She sniffed and smiled. "It's Latin. It means 'In Memory of the Frost.'" Jack felt tears rolling down his own face. "He wrote that when he passed away, he wanted those words on his headstone. That way you would know how much he treasured his time with you."

Jack stared at her, nearly convinced she had to be some form of psychological torture invented by Pitch Black. "I can't believe you would honor a request like that. You thought I'd killed him." Jack said, turning away to wipe his face. He felt stupid, talking to some figment of his own imagination. The real Angela wouldn't…

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt her hand on his shoulder. "We almost didn't; it's not like he had a will made up. The day we were going to send the order out for the headstone, Sophie woke me up. We'd been reading the journal together and she'd read ahead of me. I was angry at her at first, but she told me to read the passage that closed out the journal." She opened the book on her lap and passed it to him.

Hands shaking slightly, Jack took Jamie's journal and read the paragraph Angela pointed out. "It's my last day here, mom, and I'm so excited to see you and Sophie again! I can't wait to show you some of the things I've tried and learned. But more than that, I can't wait to tell you how much closer this trip has made Jack and I. Sure, Claire has been a big pain in the neck, but the stress she put up (without even realizing it) between him and I only ended up bringing us closer. I know he has trust issues and the dolt gets jealous too quickly still, but I know the jealousy is because he's afraid. He's never gotten violent on me and with the bond I know he never will."

He continued on with a bit of prodding from Angela. "Jack has over 300 years of bad memories to deal with. Even with a whole lifetime together, I'm not sure I could do enough to make up for that. I need to find some way to remind him after I'm gone that he has plenty of good memories too. That's it! When I pass on, I'll have them write 'In Memorium Pruinae.' I'll tell Jack that it's Latin for In Memory of the Frost, to remind him to treasure the good times we've had instead of focusing on the end."

The book vanished in his hands and he looked over at Angela. "Angela…"

She cut him off. "Please, call me mom." If he'd wondered before, he knew this Angela had to be an illusion. In spite of that, he couldn't let go of the thought that this would be his chance to speak to her, even if it was all in his head.

"Mom." Jack said. "I will find a way to clear my name."

She shook her head at him. "You haven't been paying attention." She said in irritation. "You don't have to do that, Jamie already did…"

"But this is just a dream!" Jack blurted out. "You're not really here!"

Reaching over, she ran a hand through his hair lovingly. "Aren't I?" She laughed softly. He thought her laugh would turn cruel, that she would turn into Pitch or some other monstrous thing. Instead, she continued talking to him, pulling him close to her side.

"You called me here, Jack. Your dreams brought me here, to this place. Of course, I wasn't thrilled to have a knife at my neck when I got here, but at least it wasn't you holding it. In fact, even though you thought I wasn't real you still begged for me to be spared. If Jamie's journal wasn't enough to completely convince me, then you trying to save me without your powers put you over the top. All you need to do now is figure out who summoned a field of icebergs that destroyed the boat and killed my son. And you'll need this to do it." She held out her hand and the headstone in front of them glowed with the snowflake symbol. It was the symbol of his power.

"How did you…?" Jack asked in wonder. That couldn't be his actual power, he couldn't have gotten off so easily. Couldn't he?

She seemed to sense his thoughts and she laughed. Again, it was the pleasant sound he'd only heard a few precious times. "Well, I decided to take a look around inside of your mind when I dissolved into dreamsand. By the way, dissolving is now on my list of least favorite ways to get around." She said, shaking her head as if to clear out the cobwebs. "Didn't hurt, but it was damn confusing for a while. Anyway, when I got my head back together I found that symbol surrounded by a little dark-looking energy. I called out for you, but got the Tooth Fairy's attention instead."

"Tooth is in here too?" Jack asked, bewildered. He thought about how many people had been in his head lately and wondered idly if they'd bothered to wipe their feet on the way in.

Angela laughed. "I always did like your sense of humor. Yes, Tooth took a few shots at the energy around your power with this staff of light in her hands. She told me to grab it and return it to you. We saw you and the little golden fellow…Sandman, was it? Anyway, you both were arguing with Pitch and then Pitch said that horrible thing about making you endure a hundred times worse and Tooth lost her temper. Well, you saw that at any rate." She said, and Jack finally realized what had actually happened moments ago when Pitch and Sandy vanished.

Jack and Angela stood up and Angela hugged him tight. He nearly started crying again from the joy of it, but he managed to wrap his arms around Jamie's mother. "Your mother, too!" She said, reminding him that she could hear his thoughts. "Don't ever doubt it!" She held his shoulders as they separated and she smiled.

She sighed. "I'm probably going to wake up soon. Go get your powers and then find whoever it was and give them a good one for me." She turned to the headstone as she began to fade.

"Mom!" He blurted out before he could stop himself.

Her smile widened. "I hoped I could get you to call me that at least once today. I'm fine, just going back to the waking world. I'll see you there; don't keep me waiting too long!" Finally, she vanished.

Wiping his eyes, Jack walked up to the stone. Jack placed his hand over the symbol. Inside the middle of the snowflake, Jaime's words for him shone brightly. He smiled as he said them to himself. "In Memorium Pruinae. Thank you Jaime, I will remember the good times. I love you so much."

The world flashed a brilliant white blue as wind swirled around him. Feeling a thrum of energy, Jack sat up in his bed. A quick glance around the empty room told him that none of the other immortals were there.

Worried, Jack got up and dismissed the wave of ice and dreamsand that stood in front of his door. Passing through, he heard noises outside of the abandoned research facility. As he made his way up, he could hear cracks like dozens of bullwhips shooting through the air. When he made it to the entrance and opened the door, his heart sank.

Tooth and Sandy were lying on the ground in front of him. Golden dreamsand fell like snow around the entire scene; Sandy must have used a lot of power. Next to where Toothiana lay, Nightlight's staff was broken in two; the light at the tip had gone out. It wasn't hard to tell who had caused all this trouble. The villain was still there, arms folded and eyes staring straight at Jack.

Standing tall in the Antarctic snow was the dark figure of Pitch Black. The dark man stood in stark contrast to the falling dreamsand and pure white snow. By the scene around him and the smug look on his face, Pitch's powers must have made a return as well. Jack pulled his staff out of the air and took a few steps to place himself between the Nightmare King and his fallen friends. When he saw Tooth twitch and Sandy take a breath, Jack took heart. They were just unconscious.

Jack's eyes returned to the root of the problem. When he saw he had Jack's attention, the Boogeyman smiled brightly. "You Guardians might be useful after all! Thank you so much for your help. I feel better than I have in ages!"

A/N: Yeah, third chapter in a week, I'm probably spoiling you guys (even if the chapters are a bit on the shorter side, but I can't resist a good cliffhanger). It should come as no surprise that this book is going on much longer than I ever intended, but I think I'm mostly responsible. I probably took too much time off between Nipped Your Nose and Breaking The Ice and there are a lot of plot threads I came up with in the intervening month. Not to mention the ideas I come up with as I'm writing the story proper. Oh well, if you have any complaints you know where to file them! Or you could leave a positive review, those are appreciated as well.


	9. Evil Breaking Loose Part 1

Pitch glared malevolently across the snowy scene at Jack. Tooth and Sandman lay immobile in the snow, knocked out before Jack had made it outside of the abandoned Antarctic research facility he'd been living in.

"Why even try fighting me Jack? It's not like your friends the Tooth Fairy or the Sandman stood a chance against me. They are far stronger than you." Pitch sneered, dodging the next blast of ice that Jack sent his direction with his staff. The Boogeyman was twitching, as if he were full of energy that was threatening to burst out of his body.

"What, no scythe?" Jack taunted, wondering when Pitch was going to strike back.

The Boogeyman laughed viciously. "Regrettably, no. Even now, my connection with the dreamsand is broken. Yet another thing I owe you and those worthless mortals for." As Pitch practically vibrated with power, Jack had his doubts and kept up his guard. "I don't need it, though." Pitch dodged another close-range blast and came back up swinging something in his left hand. Pulling his staff up, Jack managed to block the slash. Jack's eyes flicked down to the object Pitch wielded and then he looked back at Pitch in surprise.

"I can make nightmare into reality." Pitch said, the dagger he had used in Jack's dream and threatened Jamie's mom glowed darkly. A visible aura of black energy built around Pitch and his weapon. Where the aura touched Jack's staff, it crackled with black lines of electricity. The Nightmare King pushed against Jack slowly, drawing more crackling black lightning from the connection point between them.

Pitch's eyes were completely black. "I can't wait to get a chance to use this on dear Angela, this time for real." Suddenly, Pitch lashed out with his leg, catching Jack by surprise. The force of the kick sent Jack flying backwards and then he slid on his back towards the door. His staff flew out of his hands, skidding over close to where the Sandman lay prone. Pushing himself up, Jack sat with his back against the door and looked back at the Boogeyman.

The dark aura only grew as Pitch got closer. He walked slowly, certain in his power and toying with Jack. Carelessly he flipped the dagger into the air a few times, catching it by the pommel as it fell back down. "You know what bothers me most about all of this? Had I only been able to return sooner I'd have the pleasure of killing you're the last light, your first believer, and your soul-mate myself. Believe me; it would not have been as quick as some exploding ship. No, I owe that boy a bit more than that." Pitch stopped mere steps away, still flipping the dagger in one hand. "Then again, inheritance should fall to the next of kin." He said ponderously, his dark smile widening as he continued to speak. "Yes, I believe I will pay my debt to his family; first his dear, amusing mother, and then his little, annoying sist…"

Before he could finish the threat, Jack lost his temper. He struck out with one hand, blasting the dagger mid-air. It flew far behind the Boogeyman, who turned to watch it fall. When he turned back, Pitch glared at Jack. Jack stood, leaning casually against the door. "Looks like you picked up a new trick."

Jack shrugged. "Relatively new, yeah. Haven't had the energy to do that in a while, though, so I guess I owe you a small thank you."

Pitch gave a lurch and Jack blasted him reflexively. The Boogeyman took the hit square in the chest and spun back a dozen feet, somehow managing to stay on his feet. When he came to a stop, Pitch sank to one knee, his body vibrating erratically.

"I'll admit, though. I am a little surprised I can still do this without Jaime. Not that I'm complaining, really." Jack struck again, Pitch threw up his hands and a black shield sprang up although the force of the blast had him sliding back another few feet. "Guess you learn things as you go along."

Pitch put his hands down, the shield disappearing into thin air. The aura of black energy was pulsing out of sync with the vibrations that racked Pitch Black's body. As he readied his next attack, Jack wondered what in blazes was wrong with Pitch. By the look on his face, Pitch was wondering the same thing. The Boogeyman fell to his hands and knees, craning his neck to look at Jack as he spoke. "I suppose that's true, Jackie. And I've learned what to do when it's time to go." Pitch sank into his own shadow; the dark, roughly circular shape stood out in stark contrast to the white, snowy surroundings. The shadow raced across the surface of the ground, making a line straight for the door that Jack guarded.

Jack threw a fist down into the ground, directing his energy under the level of the ground in an arc. It came back up right underneath the shadow and blasted it skyward in a geyser of snow and ice. Pitch re-materialized in the air and flew back again, landing on his back with a loud crack.

Jack went to check on Tooth and Sandy. The Tooth Fairy was sitting up, a lump on the side of her head and a glazed look in her eyes. Sandy looked a bit better as he stood next to his friend. Turning to Jack, Sandy handed him his staff.

"What happened?" Jack asked. Tooth made a moaning sound, but couldn't form words yet. Sandy sighed and slowly formed figures in dreamsand over his head. A dreamsand Tooth Fairy, Sandman and Pitch appeared, all looking ready to fight. The dreamsand Pitch was moving his mouth soundlessly and the dreamsand Tooth Fairy turned angry and flew straight at Pitch. The dreamsand Pitch blocked her first blow with his dagger, but she struck with the other end and struck him solidly in the chest, burying the tip in his chest.

The dreamsand figures stood in shock. Tooth let go of the staff and Pitch grabbed it, the tip breaking off as he tried to pull it out. Angrily, Pitch swung the staff at Tooth, breaking it in half on her head and sending her flying. Sandy tried to strike out, but Pitch pulled him in closer with the whip he'd been struck with and then smacked under the chin by a baseball swing that Pitch landed with what was left of the staff.

"Jack?" Tooth said weakly. Sandy returned to her side, supporting her as she looked towards Jack.

"I'm surprised, Tooth. You fought fiercely." Jack said, trying to compliment her. Instead, he could see tears forming in her eyes.

"I was so angry." Tooth said as she broke into tears. "Everything he's done to us and to you. Then he started talking, well, you know how he is. He got under my skin and I just lost control. When he blocked me, I just saw the opening and took it. I thought he was going to die, and I was happy." Tooth broke down.

"He pushed us pretty far, Tooth. Don't worry. We aren't perfect." Jack hugged her and she gripped him tightly. Sandy joined in, hugging them both from the sides. "I'm just glad to see you guys again." Jack said.

He let go of his friends and glanced over at Pitch. The Nightmare King was still lying spread eagle in the snow. "Are you guys going to be okay?" Jack asked. Sandy nodded and turned back to tend to Toothiana. Jack turned back around and walked slowly to his downed enemy.

As he got closer, he saw something glowing on Pitch's chest; his dark cloak had opened slightly with the blast. Curious, Jack pieced together what it was. Tooth had gotten a very lucky shot at Pitch with Nightlight's staff; the moonbeam tip lodged in the villain's dark heart. "How did you fight like that?" Jack wondered aloud.

Pitch's eyes fluttered and he answered as he panted. "Spite." The Nightmare King started coughing, turning his head to the side. "Just when…I was stronger than ever…that bloody fairy…went for the kill. Didn't think…she had it in her." Pitch gave into another fit of coughing. When he opened his eyes again, Jack could see flecks of white in the black of his eyes. It was as if stars were shining in his eyes.

"Jack Frost, please step aside. Let me see what I can do for him." A voice behind Jack said, surprising him. Jack turned, stepping back away from the Boogeyman. The owner of the voice knelt at Pitch's side. At first, Jack thought it was Jack O'Lantern, but there were several things wrong. To start, his mask was shaped more like a human face instead of Jacko's more circular simple one. His mask was glowing, but with the colors across its face it looked more like a sunrise than Jacko's flickering candle. The male figure wore a robe that was closer to what Pitch wore in style, but a pastel yellow. His hair was a bright golden color and short and tousled effortlessly.

"You're one of Mother Nature's…" Jack got out.

The young man (at least his voice sounded young) cut him off. "Yes, I'm from the Court of Seasons. Summer, if you haven't guessed. As he spoke, he ran his hands over Pitch, they glowed brightly for a moment and then dimmed. "Good." He said finally.

"Not that I would mind Pitch dying, but that's a bit heartless…" Jack started, but he was cut off again.

"No, he's not dying. The moonbeam is forcing out what remains of the fearlings. He'll expel the last ones in a moment, hence the coughing." Taking a look around, the Summer spirit seemed like he was considering his options.

"Fearlings?" Jack asked questioningly. He felt just a touch behind.

"Yes, fearlings. Here's the short version. Kozmotis Pitchener was their jailor after the war. He was tricked into releasing them and they now possess his body. They won't possess him for much longer, by the looks of things." He stood.

"So Pitch Black…?" Jack started, counting on the immortal to cut him off again.

He wasn't disappointed. "…Is Kozmotis Pitchener, one of Tzar Lunanoff's most powerful soldiers and father of my leader." Jack's mind reeled, he'd never heard that Mother Nature was Pitch's daughter. "That's why I'm here. She sent me to do what I could to make sure that Pitch Black becomes Kozmotis Pitchener once more."

Pitch gave a series of progressively worse coughing fits. Mother Nature's Summer spirit looked Jack in the eyes. "Now when he expels them, we must be ready. They cannot be allowed to retake Pitchener, or anyone else. I need you to make a dome of highly reflective ice, if you could." Jack was stunned by the other immortal's eyes. One ring around his pupil was an earthy brown and the second ring was molten gold.

Jack was distracted. "What's your name?"

Stunned, the other immortal blinked. "Um, Raymond. Raymond du la Soleil." He said his name with a slight French accent. It didn't sound purely French, though more like something you'd hear in Louisiana. While he thought, Jack was staring. A bit uncomfortable, Raymond cleared his throat loudly to try and get Jack's attention.

Jack looked down, his pale face flushing from embarrassment. "Um, oh right! Yes, dome. Reflective, yes, I think I can manage…" Mercifully, he was cut off again.

"Good, get to it, we're running out of time." Raymond turned away, much to Jack's disappointment. Shaking himself, Jack set about building the dome.

Jumping on his staff like he was surfing the air, Jack flew around Pitch and Raymond in circles. He used both hands to throw his power into building the ice up the right way to make it strong and reflective. As he did, Jack mentally berated himself. _He's not Jaime, you can't feel like that about someone else! What would Jaime think? You only get one soul-mate, right? So what business do you have feeling that way about someone else?_

He was so busy beating himself up, he didn't notice when he closed the dome. Unfortunately, Jack had closed himself inside the dome with Raymond and Pitch. As he returned to the ground, Raymond looked up with slight surprise.

"Sorry. Finished the dome…" Jack cut off this time was slightly more ill-tempered than before. Jack was starting to resent the fact that he couldn't finish a sentence around the pushy Summer spirit.

"So I noticed. Perhaps I should have been clearer about where you needed to be after it was completed. Now you're just another body the fearlings could jump into." Jack drew a breath to apologize, but Raymond waved a hand. "No use now, he's just about ready." Jack glanced at Pitch.

The Nightmare King was on his side, his body wracked with dry heaves as dark energy came off of him in waves. Raymond raised his hands and a small glowing dome fell over Pitch. The dark energy continued to come off, but after a few inches away from his body, it dissipated into the golden energy. "That should take care of the smaller ones. The ones that come out of his mouth will be a bit tougher though. Stand back; your ice will help you but only for a while. I'll handle them as much as I can. I just hope that will be good enough."

"I have handled dark creatures before…" Jack started.

Predictably, Raymond spoke over him again. "I've heard, but those nightmares were made mostly of dreamsand. A natural fearling is less solid. I should be able to take care of them with a generous dose of sunlight. Now step back!" Raymond said sharply as dark energy started to pour out of Pitch's mouth.

Jack gripped his staff with both hands and retreated back a few feet to the edge of the dome. When he turned his eyes back on the other two immortals, Raymond was glowing softly. The flow of dark energy increased from Pitch's mouth and dark shapes started spreading across the snow.

A/N: Okay, I know. _**Another**_ original character? Yes, but I couldn't resist. Mother Nature is coming up soon and I have to establish her Court of Seasons. Now we've seen; the Leprechaun, the Spring immortal; Jack O'Lantern, the Autumn immortal; and Raymond du la Soleil, the Summer immortal. Currently, there is no Winter immortal. Could Jack find himself with another invitation to the Court of Seasons? Well, he has to survive the evil that Pitch is literally vomiting up for him. Expect a fight scene next chapter and a lot more.

I love hearing from you guys, even the critical stuff, so feel free! Thanks for reading, following, favorite-ing and the reviews I've gotten so far. Until next time!


	10. Evil Breaking Loose Part 2

Raymond raised his arms and strong light grew from his body. The light grew brighter until it hit the reflective inner surface of the ice dome that Jack had formed around them. On contact, the dome took a bright glow. Jack had to close his eyes for a moment. "That should keep them in here with us, even the strongest fearlings won't want to touch it." Raymond paused and glanced over at Pitch. The Boogeyman was still on his hands and knees vomiting out dark energy. "I won't have a lot of time to explain, so listen up, Frost." Raymond said.

The summer spirit stood in stark contrast to the malevolent energy that Pitch black was vomiting up in vile spurts. Jack tried not to look at it as the energy pooled near the prone Pitch. Fortunately, the pool was forming and growing away from the Nightmare King. The fearlings were probably trying to get as far away from the moonbeam stuck in Pitch's heart as they could.

"The fearlings coming out of Pitch do not naturally have forms of their own. They are given form by the imagination of the person who sees them. We'll both need to control our imaginations and our fears so that these fearlings don't get too strong and overwhelm us. I'd say don't look at them, but we'll need to be aware of them to keep them from trying to possess us."

Jack looked away from Pitch and caught Raymond's gaze. Quickly, he lowered his eyes to stare at Raymond's chest so that he would not be distracted like he'd been the last time. Jack kicked himself mentally again for having any sort of feelings for the immortal. To his credit, Raymond continued talking. "Your ice should be enough to hold them off of you, but it won't destroy them. Maybe you can freeze them, I don't know if they'll be able to break out or not. It might work better on the first ones to emerge rather than the bigger ones he'll have in store for us later."

Jack wished he'd thought to place himself outside the dome and avoid the battle altogether, but he knew he'd never forgive himself if Raymond lost this fight. Hoping that Raymond's skepticism about his abilities was misplaced, Jack readied himself for the fight. He turned to look at Pitch…

…and immediately wished he hadn't. The pool of dark energy was starting to form shapes rising from its surface. Raymond took a few test shots at these shapes with beams of light from his palms. Immediately, the shapes retreated, but the pool grew darker. Only a few breaths later, more solid shapes started to rise out of the pool. Jack could see tentacles, claws, and even a rough approximation of a hand.

"Jack, control your thoughts. Your mind is giving them forms to take. A fearling in its natural state is like a blob of energy; they can still hurt you but not as much when they can't take a form." Raymond fired stronger beams and the solid shapes resisted for a moment before breaking up and falling back into the pool of dark energy.

Taking a few breaths, Jack looked back at Raymond and tried emptying his mind. It was difficult; he hadn't been very comfortable in his own head for the last three hundred years. With a pain in his chest, he thought of the few months he'd had with Jamie. Emptying his mind had been easy then, when he would watch Jamie drift off into sleep as they held each other. Being able to touch Jamie on those nights had brought him a kind of peace he hadn't thought possible.

Jack looked back at the pool of energy with a cool detachment. More formless blobs broke the surface, but Raymond's power struck through them with ease, dissipating them as the rose. Pitch continued to vomit and Jack noticed that his heaves made no sound. In fact, the energy hitting the snow made no sound. The whole scene was eerily quiet.

As he watched, the pool of energy became darker and larger. More and more formless shapes emerged and it took longer and longer for Raymond to get rid of them all. Jack realized the summer immortal was pacing himself. Raymond only increased the power of his attacks when he absolutely had no other choice. Time passed and Raymond looked no more concerned than if he was taking a jog.

Suddenly, a large, dense ball of energy popped out of the pool, surrounded by fifteen other smaller balls. Jack throttled down his emotions and looked at Raymond, who had paused in his strikes to take stock of his new foes. Raymond took a step back with his left foot and raised his hands, his left near his cheek and the right straight in front of him. A bow of light formed in his hands, one bright arrow knocked into the glowing string. The tips of the bow blushed a dusty rose hue and brightened into a light nearly bright as the sun where his hand gripped it.

Raymond loosed the arrow and it flew towards the center of the biggest fearling orb. In response, the surface of the fearling rippled and it floated back away from the arrow. The smaller balls of dark energy rushed to take the shot and it struck through five of them before it stopped. Two more arrows followed, taking out another five each so that the large fearling was alone. Its surface rippled again and a dozen additional, smaller fearlings rose from the pool. These ones were larger than the last but still smaller than the large fearling.

As Raymond shot them, his arrows took out three at a time. The larger fearling drifted slowly towards the edge of the dome, the smaller balls providing cover for the big fearling. Jack aimed his staff and hit the large fearling from the side. It caught the ball unaware and it dropped to the ground covered in a generous coating of ice. Jack laughed in triumph.

His laugh died in his throat as half a dozen fearlings, all the same size as the one he'd frozen, sprang up from the pool of energy. Jack noticed as the erupted from the surface that the pool seemed to be roughly the same size, but it grew darker as more energy poured out from Pitch Black. Three of them floated towards Raymond and the other three headed for Jack. These ones didn't seem to be very fast, only going slightly faster than a walking human. Raymond had his three struck down with stronger arrows and put down one of Jack's in the time it took him to freeze two. Raymond shot a few more arrows into the ones Jack froze, blowing shards of ice like small bombs. Both of them jerked back in surprise at the sudden explosion.

Raymond glanced at Jack. "Well, that could be useful."

"You think?" Jack said sarcastically. Inwardly, he was inordinately pleased that Raymond was looking at him like he wasn't just some burden. Again, he took a breath and tried to squash that feeling.

They didn't have time to talk as more fearlings rose out of the pool. Jack froze the first few and Raymond shot the ones Jack had frozen. The explosions took out the nearby fearlings and the group of nearly thirty was reduced to vapor in very little time. As the next waves of fearlings rose, they got better at keeping distance from each other and eventually Jack and Raymond were back to fighting their own groups.

The lulls between waves of enemies were shorter as well. Soon, they would be streaming out of the pool with no room for breath. Raymond's reabsorbed his bow and arrows and launched a wave of sunlight to give them a chance to change their strategy. "We'll be overwhelmed at this rate." Raymond said irritably.

"Can you tell how many more there are?" Jack asked, panting lightly.

Raymond shook his head. "Maybe if I could get close enough to scan, but it's too dangerous to try now."

Racking his brain, Jack hit on an idea. "I could form some large ice crystals. When your light goes through them it'll either amplify the light…"

Raymond's eyes went wide behind his mask. "…or they'll explode! Either way we're in a better position than we were before."

Jack hazarded a glance at Pitch. The Boogeyman looked less pale; his cheeks were red from the force and duration of his expulsion of dark energy. His hair was hanging loosely instead of styled back and stiff. His eyes were closed; Pitch's body shook with spasms as he held himself up on his hands and knees. The pool of fearling energy seemed to be concentrating itself instead of getting larger. The light above the pool seemed to be getting drawn in and soon the small golden aura Raymond had used on Pitch retracted to just cover Pitch and not the pool.

A fresh wave of fearling orbs erupted from the pool, the aura that had prevented their escape now gone. Jack quickly set about to throwing reflective ice crystals as fast as he could make them. Raymond threw rays of sunlight of varying strengths through the crystals. The less powerful ones were amplified and took out a few fearlings at a time. By the last few crystals, the ice was glowing and then exploding into light and ice shards which took out the tougher fearlings. It seemed their strategy was paying off, although as time wore on again, Raymond had to resort to stronger beams of light and the crystals were exploding more often and with more intensity than before.

Without warning, the battle went quiet. The fearling horde was gone, leaving Pitch and the dark pool in the middle of the dome. The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion. The energy stopped pouring from Pitch's mouth. Pitch opened his eyes and his dark gaze was sprinkled with tiny star-like points of light. Kozmotis Pitchener stood up; his formerly pale gray skin now had a more moon-like luminescence. A glow of white light burst from Pitch's chest and consumed the former Nightmare King. With that flash, Pitchener disappeared.

Both Raymond du la Soliel and Jack Frost stood in stunned surprise. Jack turned to Raymond, looking for some answer but the other immortal shrugged. "Mother Nature didn't mention that as a possibility." Raymond said.

The pool of dark energy still remained and it quickly regained both seasonal spirits' attention. Its surface bubbled and swelled upwards. Medium and large-sized orbs broke free, only to be pulled back in by some unseen force. This force grabbed them unwillingly, if the agitated surfaces of the medium and large fear blobs meant distress. When all of the fleeing blobs were reabsorbed, the pool of energy rose up and gathered into a shape.

"Jack, are you controlling your imagination?" Raymond asked seriously. As he spoke, the blob grew two crude limbs.

Searching himself, Jack nodded. "Yeah, it shouldn't be pulling anything from me. You?" From the corner of his eye, Jack saw Raymond nod. "So what is this?" The pool beneath the creature was almost gone. Its trunk split into two legs.

Raymond swallowed drily. His eyes didn't move from the giant fearling. "This is bad. Very, very bad." His mark actually clouded over, the light from the mask's 'sun' dimmed into watercolor-esque pastels.

Jack sighed. "That's what I thought."

The fearling was man-shaped but crude; it had no facial features and it still looked blobby. Its bulbous head nearly touched the top of the dome and Jack knew he'd made it at least twenty five feet high. Jack raised his staff and fired a blast of ice. It streamed, hardened, and struck the giant fearling that rose from the ground. Jack's icicle lodged in the fearling's chest for a moment, then disappeared into the darkness. The liquid-like properties of its surface took on a more solid and slightly reflective appearance. It looked now like it was covered in dark glass.

Jack hazarded a glance at Raymond. "Hey! Where was the light?" He saw the other immortal shake himself and his mask blushed a sunset red. "Focus, Raymond, we can take this together…"

That's when it struck. Jack barely managed to throw up a small shield of ice, but the resulting impact knocked his staff out of his hands. Pain shot up through his left wrist before Jack struck the inside of the dome. For a moment Jack felt the pain of the one big bruise his back had become and the sharp stinging pain in his wrist, but it was quickly soothed away. He opened his eyes and saw the light from the dome streaming over his body. Standing again, Jack tested out his limbs and was surprised by how good he felt again.

"Okay, now that you drained the spell on the dome a bit, would you mind not taking a hit like that again?" Raymond's voice was much closer than he remembered. Jack turned around and tried vainly not to jump in surprise. The summer spirit was right behind him, his amazing eyes looking straight into Jack's.

Jack played it off, folding his arms over his chest. "Aw, you _do _care." Raymond's eyes narrowed in annoyance. Jack looked over Raymond's shoulder, or tried to. He hadn't noticed the immortal was taller than him and he really didn't feel like leaning to look around him. So Jack decided to just ask. "Isn't there a horrible nightmare monster intent on destroying us?" Raymond turned to the side to give Jack a better view. Jack tried to contain his own irritation at the slight smile that came over Raymond's face.

The scene was…unusual, even by Jack's own experience. A large deer made of sunlight squared off against the giant fearling, nimbly avoiding the dark creature's attacks while scoring hits on the giant with its bright antlers. Neither were having much effect on the other, the fearling couldn't hit the light deer and the deer's antlers didn't seem to go deeper than the layer of black ice that Jack had unwittingly given it.

"The maaso won't last long." Raymond said, pointing at the light-deer. "But it should buy us some time. Do you think that you could create an ice-drill strong enough to break through it?"

"I can try. What if that doesn't work?" Jack looked Raymond over as they spoke. When he had been farther away, Raymond hadn't looked half as spent. Now, the summer immortal was drenched in sweat, exertion rolling in waves as the maaso feinted and parried with the fearling giant.

"I have one last attack I can try, but I'd rather not if I can avoid it. Hopefully, your drill will amplify the light and explode like the others did." As he turned around, Raymond swayed on his feet. Jack threw one of Raymond's arms over his shoulder to keep the immortal standing.

"You don't look like you can take much more." Jack said worryingly. He could feel the bigger man take deep breaths to clear his head. "Maybe…"

Cutting him off seemed to be a trademark with Raymond. "No. If we don't stop it now it will find someone else. I don't want to damn another soul to the torment of watching themselves become a monster like Pitch Black."

Raymond rallied and tried stepping away from Jack. Jack resisted. "Together!" Raising his left hand, he summoned his power. With a few rotations of his wrist, the drill took shape. He continued, aiming the drill and adding to the size and hardness until he was satisfied by his creation. "Ready?" Jack asked.

"Shoot it!" Raymond shouted as the giant gripped the maaso with one giant hand. The fearling opened a cavernous mouth and bit the head off of the light-deer. What remained of the maaso dissipated and floated up toward the top of the dome. Jack sent the drill spinning straight for the chest of the fearling.

The monstrous fearling had turned its attention upwards at the floating bits of light. Its cavernous maw opened as it roared a challenge at the dome. Jack could feel the roar reverberating around the enclosed space. When his drill struck, that roar went up to an ear-splitting screech.

Throwing Jack off of him, Raymond glowed like a small sun. Jack averted his eyes, watching as a giant ray of light erupted from the aura around Raymond. The ray hit the drill and Jack watched in awe as the drill absorbed more and more light. Raymond's aura of power rapidly diminished, the power drawn into the drill of ice. Finally, the aura returned to a soft glow.

Jack's ice drill glowed brightly in the giant fearling's chest. Light rays erupted from under the fearling's icy skin. Turning to Raymond, the giant charged with a speed that Jack couldn't follow. Raymond was struck with the back of the creature's hand and sent flying face first into the side of the dome. Jack cried out in fury, but his cries were cut off by a great explosion.

When Jack regained consciousness, Tooth stood over him. Her eyes looked slightly unfocused from her earlier concussion, but she smiled when she saw he was awake. With a little help from the Tooth Fairy, Jack set up and looked around what remained of the ice dome. The dome was gone, a jagged circular wall about a foot high at its tallest point was the only evidence of its existence. Sandy stood over a prone golden body.

Jack's heart nearly stopped. He barely knew the other immortal, but he felt something more than friendship for Raymond. It still made him feel horrible when he thought of Jamie, but he was done fighting the attraction. Shakily, he got to his feet. When those failed him, he waved off Tooth's restraining hands and crawled over to where Raymond lay.

"Raymond? Sandy, please…" Jack looked at Sandy in desperation. The other immortal smiled and pointed at Raymond's chest in response. Jack looked and saw that his new friend was breathing. Jack sighed in relief and laid his head down on Raymond's chest, hearing the steady heartbeat as Raymond took deep breaths.

His head was turned to look at Raymond's face and he saw the mask had been broken from just below the nose down. What remained of the mask still glowed like the sky, but it was like morning just before a sunrise. As he watched, the broken edges smoothed themselves, rounding their jagged edges. The mask also shifted shape slightly to make the break more of a uniform height, leaving a bow shaped opening arcing downward from just below his nose. This new opening exposed Raymond's mouth.

Jack could see Raymond's chin, his jawline and his slightly parted lips. Squashing the voice that reminded him that Jamie used to sleep like that, Jack propped himself up on his right arm. His right hand was planted in the ground next to Raymond's head, so Jack now with his right side draped across Raymond's chest. With his left hand, he shook Raymond's shoulder.

"Ray? Ray, wake up." Jack said softly. Another part of his brain reminded him of Sleeping Beauty. Instantly, the part still fixated on Jamie reminded him of watching the Disney movie with Jamie as they cuddled on his bed. He quieted both voices, compromising with himself by touching the exposed parts of Raymond's face. He lightly slapped Raymond's cheek until color started returning to the mask. As Raymond opened his eyes, the sun rose in his mask and Jack stared, entranced. "Ray, I'm glad you're awake."

The summer spirit smiled and Jack's stomach fluttered. Then the clouds parted (both metaphorically in Raymond's head and literally in his mask. "Um. Frost? Could you please let me up?" Jack watched the rosiness rise in Raymond's mask's sunrise.

Blushing himself, Jack sat up and folded his legs. "Sorry, I was worried…"

"Don't." When Raymond interrupted him, Jack smiled. Raymond sat up as he spoke, now they sat side by side but facing different directions. "Is it gone?"

"It's gone and then some." Jack said with a laugh. Raymond joined in, both finally turning to face each other and smiling.

Unseen by the two seasonal spirits, Toothiana and Sanderson exchanged a glance. A question mark formed above Sandy's head and Tooth smiled in response.

A/N: Nope, we're not done yet! I'm officially throwing in the towel as far as my old outline goes, we're in a bit of uncharted territory. I hope things have been fairly clear but if I've lost you at any point, or if you have questions please don't hesitate to ask! I love hearing from you guys. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed that chapter, I worked on it a bit longer than usual to try to get it right in terms of action. Thanks again for reading!


	11. Breaking Hearts Part 1

Jack, Sandy, Tooth, and Raymond the summer spirit had regrouped back in Jack's room in the abandoned Antarctic research facility. Sandy had made a dreamsand couch and moved Tooth onto it; she now rested on with her head on Sandy's lap. Jack sat awkwardly at the edge of the foot of his bed. One foot was on the floor with the other folded into a half-Indian style pose, his body turned sideways to look at the immortal on his bed. Raymond had stretched out on, still exhausted from the fight with the fearlings Pitch purged from his system. Jack made a wide window for Raymond after the summer spirit explained his ability to regenerate using sunlight and the light fell gently on Raymond's prone form.

Although he'd given up denying the attraction he had for Raymond, he still felt terrible. It had been only four months since Jamie passed away and even having these feelings made him nauseous with guilt. Added on top of that, Jack didn't know what Raymond felt about him. They'd met only two hours ago and the greatest amount of interaction they'd had involved Raymond cutting off Jack's sentences, fighting together against a horde of fearlings, and lying unconscious on the ground.

"You have some explaining to do Raymond." Tooth said from her place on the couch.  
>"How did you know to come here? How did you get here? How did you know all of that stuff about fearlings?" Sandy and Jack noticed the difference in Tooth's voice. For the first time in weeks, Tooth didn't sound like she was about to kill someone. Then again, she had nearly killed Pitch Black, so maybe she had worked it out of her system.<p>

Raymond smiled weakly. "I suppose I should answer in order, Mother Nature sent me. No, I don't know how she knew, she just did. I command Notus…"

"Who?" Jack asked. Raymond turned his head and raised an eyebrow.

"The Southern Wind, Notus. I fly with the wind, don't you?" Raymond asked.

"Well yes, but…"

"Don't tell me you don't know they have names? Especially since you've been partnered with Boreas, the freaking most well-known wind in legend?" At Jack's silence, Raymond sat up. "You…"

Embarrassed, Jack cut off Raymond for a change. "How did you know so much about fearlings? Or is it just you know everything?" Jack knew he was blushing, but fought the temptation to look away. He met Raymond's withering glare and held it.

After a few tense seconds, Raymond looked away. Now the summer spirit was blushing, if his rosy-hued mask was any indication. "Sorry, I know I come off pretty badly. I'm not good with first impressions." As his eyes turned to look at Jack's bedside table, Raymond gave a start. "Is that…Jack O'Lantern's doorknob?"

Jack felt a stab of remorse. He'd meant to let the Autumn spirit out shortly after trapping him in his own extra-dimensional studio apartment, but he knew he'd be in for a fight. Until recently, Jack hadn't been able to hold his own and since regaining his powers, one thing after another had been more important that letting Jack O'Lantern out.

"You!" Raymond was standing, holding Jacko's doorknob while glaring at Jack accusatorily. "Did you trap Jacko in his own apartment?" The guilty look on Jack's face was admission enough.

Raymond's voice rose as he spoke, his tone laced with bitterness and anger. "Do you have any idea what having the Spirit of Autumn missing has done to the world outside? Bad enough that you had been having problems of your own with your winter powers but add in losing Jacko and this has been the most chaotic winter in many years! Mother Nature is beside herself trying to make the transition of the seasons go smoothly and you have the nerve to be here, holing yourself up in the Antarctic, nearly killing Pitch Black, and TO TOP IT ALL OFF you have the only other spirit capable of helping bring winter in smoothly LOCKED IN HIS OWN APARTMENT?"

At the shameful, miserable look on Jack's face, Raymond softened a touch inside. He tried not to let it show though; he was still very mad at the rogue winter immortal. With a sigh, Raymond turned to the wall of the room and placed the doorknob there. A few seconds later, a door formed around the knob and Raymond opened it. "Jac…"

Before he could finish, a pumpkin bomb caught Raymond in the face, sending the summer spirit back and onto the bed. Jack O'Lantern stepped out of the doorway. He'd taken on the all-black form of his own normal outfit, a black hoodie, cargo pants and combat boots with his signature pumpkin mask. "Sorry, Raymond, I thought you were…"

As Jack crawled over the bed to where Raymond lay stunned, another Pumpkin bomb formed in his hand. "**YOU!** Do you have ANY idea what it's like to stay in the same room for four months?"

In spite of his better judgment, Raymond pulled himself up and got between the two immortals. "It was a bad joke, Jacko. You know how we heard about the pranks Frost has pulled. Well, he got you. Besides, what did Paddy tell you about leaving your doorknob where someone could take it?"

As the Halloween themed spirit spluttered angrily, Raymond continued. "You have business to attend to, O'Lantern. Mother Nature needs you to move the autumn weather away from the winter areas. Zephyros is being stubborn without you."

"Zephyros is just stubborn in general." Jacko pouted. "Seems to think Autumn is beneath him. If Eurus wasn't such a pain in the ass…"

"You know how he felt about being called the unlucky wind!" Raymond crossed his arms over his chest. The other three immortals were a touch lost, but could tell these two had been arguing like this for as long as they'd known each other. "Besides, the East Wind and Paddy get along better than any wind/immortal team in generations."

Jacko turned his eyes on Jack. He only managed not to look completely murderous by a few shades; he did look like he wished Jack would disappear. Raymond followed his gaze and scoffed lightly. Raymond spoke. "Oh, don't worry about him and Boreas; apparently they don't even speak to each other. Frost didn't even know who Boreas was. Now go, I wasn't kidding about Mother Nature needing you."

Jacko smirked and closed his door. He turned the handle three times and the door vanished; the knob fell easily into his hand. Without another word, Jacko walked out of the room. Everyone remaining breathed a sigh of relief.

Raymond turned his eyes back on Jack and sat at the side of the bed. "You owe me one. I took a hit for you."

Jack's remorseful look won Raymond back over. Jack extended his hand. "I'm sorry. Let's start over."

Unwilling to hold a grudge, Raymond took Jack's hand. As they touched, a thrill of electricity ran up Jack's arm. By the look of Raymond's eyes, he'd felt it too. Quickly, Raymond looked away and pulled his hand back. He stammered a bit as he spoke. "I-I. I mean, well. Where were we?"

Tooth prompted him; her last question hadn't been answered before it had been interrupted. "How do you know so much about fearlings?"

Raymond nodded. "Right! I know so much about fearlings because of Mother Nature. She's been studying them for quite a while and her theories have proved invaluable." Jack's ears pricked at the word 'theory', he shuddered to think all that Raymond had been able to do was based on guess-work.

Collecting his thoughts, Raymond scooted back to use the headboard of Jack's bed as a rest. He looked back up and faced the three Guardians. "Let me start from the beginning. I'm pretty new to all of this stuff. I woke up on a stretch of beach on the coast of Mexico in the middle of a moonless night. I was naked and cold, but my head felt like it was on fire. There wasn't anyone around for miles, it seemed. I wandered down the coast in a feverish haze for a while before the sun rose. As the first rays hit me, this outfit sprang into life around me. I was told later that I'd been bald until that moment. My hair shot out and became this color you see now."

"Who told…?" Jack started.

"Mother Nature." Raymond seemed to cut him off on reflex and Jack frowned. At the look on Jack's face, Raymond blushed a sunset red and looked down. "Sorry I keep doing that; I'm not usually like this." Raymond brought his hands up into his lap.

Worried that he'd startled Raymond, Jack played it off. "No, it's fine. Keep talking. How did Mother Nature know…?" Jack felt an odd sensation. He looked up and saw Raymond flinch for just a split-second. Nonplussed, Jack continued. "…know where to find you?"

Raymond took a breath and looked back up, avoiding Jack's gaze. Jack could never say later whether this was why he felt a strange impulse to close the distance between them. As Raymond spoke, Jack turned to face the summer immortal completely, his knees tucked underneath his body on the bed. "I'm not sure; I guess I never really questioned it. I'm lucky she did, though. As we spoke, I could feel the sunlight building inside me. I couldn't control it; light and heat just burst out of me."

"Mother Nature stood firm, the light didn't seem to bother her, but it did a number on the sand around me. When I came to again, I was sitting with a ring of scorched glass around me and this mask on my face." Raymond said this last bit as he tapped his chin. He had been unaware until this point that his mask had broken and he looked down at his finger in horror. Jack scooted closer to Raymond, now they sat side by side at the head of the bed.

"No. Oh no, no, no. Oh, what's going to happen? How did this break?" Raymond's voice got increasingly desperate.

Not knowing what to do, Jack tried putting one hand on Raymond's chest comfortingly as he lifted the other to cup the hand Raymond stared at in shock. "Raymond, calm down, you haven't lost control of anything yet, after all."

At first, Raymond's body relaxed. Then he turned to see who was comforting him and his eyes grew wide. Before Jack could hold his hand, Raymond was using it to push Jack away as he clumsily attempted to back away sideways off the bed. "No! I don't know what'll happen…" As he spoke, the flat of Raymond's palm made contact with the center of Jack's chest and light erupted, even in the now-brightly lit room. Jack closed his eyes at the flash and felt a slightly warm sensation from the contact. The pain he expected to feel next never materialized. Instead, the warmth felt incredibly good, in a way that nothing had felt in four months.

Raymond finally made it off of the bed. Unfortunately he'd done so the wrong way and landed rear-first on the hard, cold ground. When he managed to get back to his feet, shaking from nerves and from using a significant amount of his remaining energy, Raymond nearly fainted in horror. Luckily, he fell into a golden dreamsand chair instead. His eyes stayed firmly attached to the mark on Jack's chest.

Jack looked down. His blue hoodie was ruined; a still-smoking hole had formed above his sternum. Through the hole, a sun tattoo glowed warmly, fading a bit as its warmth spread through Jack's body. It disappeared seconds later. Jack couldn't tell if he'd been excited or disappointed. _What was that?_ Jack thought. He looked back up at Raymond in surprise.

The poor summer spirit looked about ready to have a heart-attack. One hand was up in his hair, gripping a hank of it firmly while his left hand clutched at his heart. Between his eyes and mouth and the coloration on his mask, Sandy and Pitch could tell Raymond was on the brink of losing it. But Jack could actually _feel_ the young immortal's emotions.

Carefully, Jack got up, holding his hands out to Raymond to show he meant no harm. When he got to the floor, Jack knelt at Raymond's feet and looked into his eyes. He spoke softly as he gathered Raymond's hands and held them above Raymond's knees. As he spoke, he could hear Raymond's chaotic mind and he soothed his fears as he felt them. "It's okay, I'm fine. Please calm down, you didn't hurt me. Yes, I know my hoodie is burnt. No, the sun tattoo doesn't hurt. It's not going to kill me. Yes, it means something but nothing as bad as you're thinking of. I have seen something like this before. Calm down and I'll tell you."

Sandy and Tooth watched in fascination. When she realized Jack could hear Raymond's mind, Tooth actually sat up. Raymond came back from the brink with Jack's words. His breathing slowed, his muscles relaxed, and the tears streaming through the eye-holes of the mask dried. Finally, he sat still, looking miserable but otherwise okay.

"First, I have a question, Raymond. Who were you?" The confusion nearly sent Raymond spiraling again and tears formed in his eyes, but Jack lifted a hand to cup Raymond's face. "No, it's okay if you don't remember. I didn't either when I became an immortal." He turned to look at Tooth. "She can help you remember. Tooth has a large collection of childhood memories." Tooth nodded in support then regretted it as the world spun around her. She could still feel the effects of the blow to the head she'd taken at the hands of Pitch.

Sandy steadied her where she sat. Concerned, Raymond got up and looked her over. Timidly, he placed a hand on her head and was relieved when there wasn't a flash of light. "I…I think I can help. It feels like it's just a concussion, albeit a very serious one. One of my powers just happens to be healing. Since you're helping me, I should do something for you. If, you don't mind?" Sandy nodded and helped Tooth stretch out on the couch. Standing back, Raymond stretched out both hands and a golden dome of light settled around Tooth and the couch. It grew in intensity until Tooth was tinged in gold and the dreamsand couch shone brightly.

Raymond dropped his hands and fell to his knees. Once again, he had over exerted himself and he mentally cursed his own foolishness. Jack's arms were around him before he could react. With a little help from the wind, Jack lifted Raymond and placed him gently on the bed again. He would have fought by reflex if nothing else, but he was very tired.

Raymond felt Jack's lips brush against his temple. At the intimate contact, Raymond shivered pleasantly. Jack was so cold and cold had been something Raymond hadn't felt in quite a while. "You're something else, Raymond. Rest, now, we'll take you to Tooth's palace as soon as you both are ready."

With Tooth and Raymond both asleep, Jack and Sandy moved into the other room. Sandy whipped up a table and stools made of his dreamsand and they sat across from each other.

"Thanks for knocking them both out, they'll need the sleep to get better quickly. You're sure that putting Tooth under was safe? It's usually a bad idea to sleep off a concussion?" Sandy nodded his head and images popped up above him in dreamsand. One figure looked like a mortal and the other was Tooth. There was a big X between them. Apparently mortals and immortals were different.

For a while, they sat in companionable silence. Then Jack realized Sandy was staring at the burned hole in his hoodie where the sun-mark had been. "I know what you're thinking."

Sandy lifted an eyebrow as if to say 'oh?'

"It can't be. I can't be soul mates with another person, can I?" Jack asked rhetorically. Sandy just looked into Jack's eyes. He expected something to pop up over Sandy's head to give away his thoughts, but Sandy remained silent and still. "Okay, even say I was magically bonded with him. That would be impossible but let's say 'what-if?' What does that mean for Jamie and I? Wasn't that real? How can I feel the same way about someone else?"

Two figures appeared on the table between them. The first he recognized as Raymond, mask and all. With a pang, he realized the second one was Jamie. With a flick of his wrist, Sandy moved the two figures together until they merged into one. Now Raymond had Jamie's face.

Jack's eyes widened. "No!" He stood up forcefully, Sandy sat up straight in surprise. "He can't be…there's no way." Angrily, Jack stalked away. Sandy watched him go quietly, resting his cheek in one hand.

Jack slammed the door behind him, belatedly realizing that he'd walked back in to where Tooth and Raymond were sleeping. He tensed, expecting one or both of them to wake up, but neither did. Relaxing, he looked back over at Raymond. The sunlight was waning outside, but Raymond was glowing softly. After a minute, Jack realized Raymond was actually drawing sunlight in like a waterfall draws a stream downwards. The effect was quite stunning, Raymond looked so heart-breakingly beautiful in his sleep.

Before he realized it, he was standing next to the bed, his hand out to pull Raymond's robe to one side and expose Raymond's chest. He only managed to stop himself with a train of thought that made his blood cold. If he really were Jamie, then the Frost mark Jack had given him all those months ago would still be there. Wouldn't it? What if it wasn't? Would that mean anything? Would he feel better if it wasn't Jamie? What if Raymond woke up while Jack was practically tearing his clothes off?

The last thought kept Jack from reaching for the robe. That would be no way to handle things, Jack decided. If the mark wasn't there it could be because it faded like the one Raymond had given him and if it was there and Raymond woke up he'd lose Jamie before he even got him back again.

Jack stepped back and thought it through. It could be he was grasping at straws but there was a lot of information he already had. Raymond had no memories, he was new, he'd woken up on a beach, he could be Jamie. Then again Jack realized with a start that there was another immortal that fit the bill. Jack O'Lantern had woken up on a beach in Alaska; he had no memory of his past life, if his reaction had been anything to go by. O'Lantern was also new and Jack had felt something when the two had been together back in Rio. And Jacko had even decided to stick with a name that was very like Jack's own. What if Jacko was Jamie?

He had to try something; he had to know for sure. Closing his eyes and taking a breath, Jack reached out for Raymond with his mind. If they were really connected, then he should be able to sense his bond-mate's dream. Jack often got the gist of what Jamie felt during his dreams, so this should be easy. When he reached out, Raymond turned in his sleep. Jack was afraid he'd woken the young immortal. When Raymond settled, Jack cursed himself. _How would it look if Raymond woke up while I'm here standing over him? It would confuse the hell out of him and he'd never trust me!_ The thought seemed to release Jack from his frozen state and he back up, falling accidentally in the dreamsand chair that Sandy had made for Raymond earlier.

_He's not Jamie, there's no way. I'm just trying to get rid of the guilt for not being there when Jamie needed me. It's all just me. Maybe I just fall in love with whoever notices me._ Jack thought darkly. With a sob, Jack's head fell into his hands. He cried quietly, trying his best to not disturb the sleeping immortals.

In the quiet, he heard a voice. "Jack?"

He thought it was Raymond, but when he looked up he saw it was Tooth. "Sorry, I…" She shook her head and put her hand to her lips. Picking his hand up, she led him out of the room quietly.

"Don't worry, I heal more quickly with my fairies out collecting teeth. Belief is a wonderful thing, not that Raymond's healing light didn't speed things up a lot!" She waved at Sandy, who pulled up a third dreamsand stool and floated over to check Tooth over. She laughed as images swirled in dreamsand over his head. "I'm fine, Sandy, really. No, Jack didn't wake me up. Thank you for helping out, yes that was a lovely dream. We're ignoring Jack, Sandy, and he could use a good talking to, if I'm right about what I saw."

Jack felt a twinge of shock, wondering how much Tooth had seen. Seeing the expression on his face, Tooth smiled. "Not as much as you think, more than you probably wanted. Jack, you looked like you were tearing yourself to pieces just looking at Raymond. Do us all a favor and cool it, okay?"

Jack sat down on the stool and stared at her. "Look, I know you're probably killing yourself inside over what you feel for Raymond and what you think you owe Jamie, but none of this is doing you any good. We'll find out tomorrow who he was in his past. Until then, I want to see you smile and act like the you I used to know, got it?"

Jack nodded numbly. She stared at him for a while until he realized she really meant it about the smile. He smiled and Tooth turned back to Sandy. "I can't wait to get back to the palace, though. It's been so long, I'm sure my fairies have forgotten what I'm supposed to look like."

A/N: Well, just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions. Are Jack and Raymond really bonded, or will their connection fade just like the mark on Jack's chest? Is Raymond really Jamie or is Jack O'Lantern Jamie?

Slight note on the winds, Yes, they are based on the Greek Anemoi, I've decided. Although I goofed up and gave Jacko the wrong one, I think. That's why I brought it up in this chapter. Jacko originally had been given Eurus as a partner (the East Wind) but they don't get along so now he's teamed with Zephyros, the West Wind. No, it doesn't quite fix the mistake, but I thought this would be better than a complete rewrite. I'd hate to have to resubmit a chapter to change one word.

Well, I hope you'll join us for the next part, my posting schedule has been a bit off lately, but I'm going to try for Mondays and Fridays from here on out until we reach the end, whenever that is. Thanks to all of you who follow and favorite, and especially to those who've been kind enough to review. I appreciate your time and your support!


	12. Breaking Hearts Part 2

In the early morning, the group of immortals made ready to leave the Antarctic. Tooth and Jack worked on cleaning out evidence of their presence in the abandoned facility. Raymond went to greet the sun, or so he said. Sandy began working on a dreamsand airship to take them all to Tooth's palace. While all of the immortals had the ability to fly, they had decided to go with the airship idea so they could travel more comfortably. Tooth and Raymond were fully healed, but Jack and Sandy insisted they take things easy.

None of them had been willing to bring in North or Bunny just for their teleportation abilities, Jack in particular still had mixed feelings about his biggest critics in the Guardians. There was also the matter of whether or not he still was a Guardian. Even Tooth, Jack's biggest supporter, never came out and confirmed his status one way or the other. Jack got the impression that the jury was still out in his case.

After sunrise Raymond returned, glowing softly. Jack turned from where he stood watching Sandy put the last touches on his airship to watch Raymond's approach. The summer immortal was light on his feet; Jack barely heard the snow crunch under Raymond's feet. His glow had given him away, though and that had been enough to draw Jack's attention. Jack looked the young immortal over with a small smile. He hadn't been aware of how long he'd been staring until Raymond spoke.

"What?" The simple question hit Jack like a snowball. Raymond's arms crossed over his chest. "I don't know what you keep staring at me for, but it's starting to get on my nerves. Either speak up about it, or knock it off. Got it?"

Jack's gaze fell to his feet. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Jack kicked himself mentally. He cut off before his apology became a babbling mess. Muttering something about a thing he forgot inside, Jack turned and went back into the abandoned facility.

Observing Raymond's outburst and Jack's retreat, Tooth calmly flew over to Raymond. Her approach went unnoticed, Ray's attention rested firmly on Jack's retreating back. Tapping his shoulder, Tooth finally got his attention. "If I have to drag him out of there just so he'll come near you, I'll know who to thank."

"Sorry." The summer spirit spoke sullenly. He hadn't guessed Jack would be that sensitive.

"What do you know about Jack Frost?" Tooth asked, her head cocked to one side.

Raymond was caught off-guard. He'd expected some sort of rebuke for hurting Jack's feelings or for being blunt. It wouldn't have been the first time; Mother Nature was constantly on him about his lack of tact. "From the little I've heard and seen of him? I know he's prone to staring, cares next to nothing about personal space, and is entirely too fixated on my eyes." His tone was light, as if this was all a joke to him.

Tooth saw straight through it, but decided to try another approach instead of attacking the points he'd made. "Do you remember yesterday…?"

"More than I care to." He said, rudely cutting her off.

She powered through. "…when you realized your mask was broken?" Raymond actually flinched and looked away from her.

"I don't understand him." Raymond said finally.

"You need to get to know him." Tooth suggested.

Raymond sighed. "Why? What's so great about him? Sure, he's great in a fight, but get down to talking to him and the guy doesn't even have the basics of communication down. It's like he has less of a filter between his brain, heart, and mouth."

Tooth smiled. "He's been through a lot. It used to be nearly impossible to talk to him at all. Jack was fixated on having a normal person to talk to. He wanted to be believed in so very badly. When he did interact with the other immortals, it was with pranks, insults, and teasing. There are still a few immortals that would rather be snowed in with a rabid bear than have to spend a minute with him."

"Sounds like a great person to get to know." Raymond snarked. The words sounded too callous, though, even to his ears.

Tooth's smile vanished. "In my experience, yes, he is. And I have a sneaking suspicion that you are more affected by his kindness than you are by his attention. What has Mother Nature told you of relationships between immortals?"

For a moment, Raymond was stunned by the sudden change in subject. He couldn't keep up with Tooth to see where this was going. He answered more honestly than he would have normally. "She told me that immortals have friendships, alliances. Like her Court of Seasons, or you Guardians. Outside of the structured groups, immortals usually fend for themselves."

Tooth shook her head. "That's not what I meant…"

Raymond had become very good at cutting people off. Tooth decided that was how he dealt with frustration. "Then what? What are you talking about? Honestly, I don't know what you're getting at…"

"Fine, I'll slow it down for you. Immortals, like the humans many of them once were, find more than just friendship or alliances. We are completely capable of love." Tooth folded her arms and stood still.

Finally, Raymond caught on. "Oh, you can't mean…? I mean, he's nice and all but… And what do other immortals think…? Isn't it a bit unnatural for…?"

Tooth cut him off. Her estimation of the young immortal had gone down several notches. "Of all the immortals to teach you about what is 'natural' it would be Mother Nature. She would be able to assure you that there are more than a few species of animal that find attraction to the same gender perfectly natural. I don't think you got that idea from her, though, did you?" She asked as she watched his expression. His face, even with the mask, gave away his thoughts.

His eyes widened in surprise. "How did you…?" He faltered, finding her gaze impossible to hold. He looked down instead and spoke. "Yeah, I might've gone to the wrong person for advice."

Tooth's went from arms folded over her chest to hands on her hips. "Oh?"

"Look, it's not like I'm…like him." He said, gesturing towards Jack and the shelter he'd gone in to avoid Raymond. "I mean, I was pretty strongly attracted to Mother Nature when I met her. But she's more someone to respect than love. I just felt a bit…strange when I met the other Courtiers."

He'd hoped she would leave him alone if she saw how uncomfortable he was, but he was mistaken. Curiosity had overtaken the Tooth Fairy's normally careful nature. "The other Courtiers, or one Courtier in particular?"

His mask blushed sunset-red. Tooth looked him over and decided he was really cute when he was flustered. "Yes, okay, it was one Courtier in particular. Someone…like me." Raymond said; the immortal was unaware that he had a hand on his mask.

Tooth put the pieces together and exclaimed. "Really? You like Jack O'Lantern?" Tooth said a bit too loudly, belatedly realizing that Jack Frost had come back and could hear them. Luckily, Sandy broke in and gestured to the completed airship. Jack was the first to board, followed by Sandy, Tooth and Raymond.

The awkward silence turned to silent wonder as they gazed around the interior of the airship. It was immediately clear why it had taken Sandy most of the morning to create the ship. An unusual level of detail showed itself in every facet of the airship. Every surface, from the floor to the walls had been intricately designed in a large panorama starting with representations of spring in the immediate entryway to the winter scene carved into the front control room. Jack reached out to a window and felt glass. At his touch, the glass became opaque, finally resolving into a picture of dancing snowflakes. When Jack pulled his hand away, the glass returned to normal.

"Dreamglass." Tooth stated as Sandy nodded. "I didn't know you could do that with dreamsand in the real world, Sandy." The Sandman brushed off a shoulder, smiling as if this wondrous creation were simple and commonplace.

"Sandy, you put a lot of effort into this! This is amazing!" Raymond said, finding his voice at last as he turned around where he stood to take in more of the beauty around him.

A flurry of symbols later, Tooth translated. "He says we're going to spend most of the next day in here and he wanted everyone to be comfortable. I think he's also been holding back. Pitch Black is gone, at least as we knew him, so now Sandy is free to put his dreamsand into one big creation."

Sandy left them in the large sitting room just off from the control room and set the airship in motion to take off. The three took seats around the room; Tooth on the loveseat, Jack perched on a stool near a window and Raymond sat in a plush, high-backed chair. As the ship took off, Tooth took the time to explain her palace, the fairies, and her responsibilities as a Guardian. By the time Sandy returned, Raymond was suitably impressed.

"I never would have guessed that your work was so important. Mother Nature briefly explained what some of you Guardians do. Collecting teeth never really made sense to me until now." Raymond said.

"Hey, Sandy. Who's driving?" Jack said nervously. It was the first he'd spoken since entering the airship.

Tooth translated. "The airship has a sort of intelligence of its own."

Raymond regarded the Sandman with awe. "I didn't know you Guardians could be so powerful."

"What do you know of the Guardians?" Tooth asked idly as Sandy sat next to her on the loveseat.

"Mother Nature said that you protect children. Your leader, the Man in the Moon, is part of a royal line that was nearly extinguished by her father when he first became Pitch Black. His bodyguard, Nightlight, sealed Pitch away the first time, along with himself. Nicholas St North is the head of your team and runs a holiday known as Christmas. E. Aster Bunnymund is a large rabbit, known as a pooka, and runs a holiday known as Easter, Sanderson Mansnoozie is also known as the Sandman, the lord of dreams. Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy, collects children's teeth."

Raymond turned to look at Jack, but the other immortal was pointedly ignoring all of their talk as he stared out the dreamglass window. "Last of all is Jack Frost, but Mother Nature only ever said that she wished you would join her Court as the winter spirit. She was…disappointed when the Guardians chose you and you finally accepted them." Jack never moved as Raymond spoke, still ignoring their conversation.

"Sandy. Why don't you give Raymond a tour around the airship while Jack and I check on the control room?" Tooth said diplomatically. Sandy floated over and tugged enthusiastically on Raymond's hand, making it hard for the young immortal to refuse. Raymond relented and allowed himself to be lead away by Sandy, images and symbols floating in a flurry above the Sandman's head.

Tooth stood and walked towards the control room. When she turned to look at Jack, she noticed he hadn't budged, even with Raymond gone. "Jack Frost." Tooth said with authority. Jack looked over at her balefully. She wouldn't relent. "Control room. Now." She commanded, turning around and walking out of the sitting room.

Sighing, Jack knew he would have no peace until she was satisfied. Besides, she would only come back if she thought he would ignore her and that would be trouble. Idly, he wondered when Tooth had become so bossy. As he walked into the control room and faced her glare, he realized going on the run had probably affected Tooth stronger than he'd ever realized. Not for the first time, he felt ashamed he hadn't trusted any of the Guardians to allow him to clear his name.

"I thought I made it clear to you last night that I would not tolerate you moping around." Tooth stated icily.

Jack sighed. "Tooth, you heard it yourself, he doesn't like me. Jacko is one lucky bastard…" He fell silent as she folded her arms over her chest.

"That's what this is about? What you thought you heard?" Tooth asked impatiently. She waved off his mumbling reply with one hand. "Let me set the record straight. Raymond doesn't know how he feels about anyone. The kid is so fresh at all this I can smell the paint on his mask."

Jack ignored the fact that Raymond's mask was magical, not painted, and let her continue. "Fact is, he won't know who he is until he finds out who he was. If anyone could appreciate how difficult that is, you should."

Jack looked down at his bare feet, but Tooth lifted his gaze back up with a hand to his chin. She spoke softly. "If you want to attract him, you can't treat him like he doesn't exist. You need to be friends with him, Jack. Not just for your own sake, but for his as well. He needs a friend, and he's unlikely to have one if my feelings are right about Mother Nature's Court of Seasons."

"I don't know how…" Jack started.

"You won over Jamie well enough."

Jack winced at his lover's name. "Ja…He was a lot more direct with his feelings." Jack said finally. "I don't know how to make friends."

Tooth let his chin go and stepped back, a smile curling at her lips. "I don't know about that. Seems to me that a certain someone made two friends recently. Even convinced them to help you against the Guardians."

Jack scoffed. "Yeah, when I was weak. I also made a pretty good enemy out of a certain Halloween immortal, if you remember."

Tooth waved him silent again. "Look, I'll say it once more. You need to be yourself. Not some tough guy trickster pulling pranks to cover his loneliness. Not some aloof winter spirit with a heart made of ice. You need to be the fun-loving, free-spirited, eternally young immortal with a heart of gold."

"More like a broken heart." Jack said crossly, because he couldn't think of anything else.

"Jamie wouldn't want this." Tooth said evenly.

Jack's ire rose. "How the hell would you know what Jamie would have wanted?"

"Even as a mortal, his one concern was your happiness. Don't forget, he was my friend and one of my believers too. I had a few heart-to-hearts with him after you two got together. You want to know what his biggest fear was?"

Jack took a step back, shaking his head. "Tooth, please…"

She persisted. "He worried that you would become some shadow of your former self after he died. So far, you've made that fear reality."

Jack covered his face with his hands. His shoulders shook in silent sobs. Tooth reached out for him and to his credit, he allowed her to hug him. When he took his hands down, she wiped at his tear-stained face. "I don't know what I am without him, Tooth. I feel like a traitor twice over. Once for not being there for him, twice for feeling something for another person so soon after his death."

"I wish I could take that away from you, but I can't. All I can do is to try to help you remember who you are. I just want to see you trying. For me. For Jamie. But most of all, for yourself. You aren't alone, Jack. And if Raymond doesn't like you then he wasn't meant to be with you. We can't force these things and you'll only push him away by sulking. Be his friend, Jack. I have faith in you." Tooth let Jack go. He had stopped shaking. She hated herself for bringing him over the edge like that, but it was a necessary step in helping her friend.

"I'll try." Jack said. When Tooth didn't respond, he looked up into her eyes. "I really will."

"That's all I can hope for. It's all that I ask." She answered.

When they returned to the sitting room, Sandy had finished setting up a checkerboard between himself and Raymond. Raymond turned to Jack, surprising the winter spirit with a smile. "Jack, could you help me? I can't remember if I've ever played this before."

So Jack went to Raymond's side, returning his smile with one of his own. "Sure, although, with the way that Sandy plays, you might not need me. He's a bit of a dreamer." Jack said, surprising everyone with a genuine laugh.

A/N: It is still Friday where I am, so I'm (roughly) on schedule.

I know, another dialogue heavy chapter. There will be more action in the next chapter, as the group continues on towards Tooth's palace. I think taking some time here to build back the relationships between the Guardians and building up the relationships between the Guardians and Raymond is worth the investment. Disagree? Want me to get to the friggin point already? Well, you know where to leave your opinion. I do appreciate even the more critical of reviews. Thanks for reading, see you again Monday!


	13. Breakdown

"I think you've gotten better. You pick things up quickly." Jack said as he leaned back into the loveseat. They'd had enough of checkers after a few hours and Sandy changed the dreamsand game-board into a chess set. Sandy was the best out of all of them, although he tended to nod off in the middle of his turn. Tooth was good, but she acted as if each lost piece was a living thing torn away from her. Jack held his own for the most part, but lacked foresight; he was only really able to think one or two moves ahead. Raymond was a bit like Jack, but had to keep asking how one piece or another moved.

As Sandy finally dismissed the dreamsand chess set, Raymond pulled a stool over to the dreamglass window. For a few minutes, he just stared out into the clouds. Jack busied himself straightening the room back out, putting chairs in the places they'd been prior to the gaming session. Occasionally, he would glance over at Raymond but then catch himself and go back to focusing on the furniture.

Sandy rolled his eyes and was about to try to tell Jack to leave off what he was doing, but Toothiana stopped him. "Hey, Sandy, why don't we go check on our progress? I want to make sure we're on course." She said this quietly to not attract attention. The two guardians snuck out of the sitting room and closed the door.

Jack looked back up from the chair he'd been arranging and realized he was alone with Raymond. Steeling himself, Jack grabbed another stool and sat just out of Raymond's immediate reach, staring through the same dreamglass window. He thought about the snowflakes dancing he'd viewed when he touched the glass the last time. Taking a moment to clear his head, Jack reached out and touched the glass.

At his touch, the glass went gray. As Jack focused, the glass reacted to the scene he created in his mind. In the glass snow fell lightly, adding to the blanket of snow that covered the woodland scene. Evergreen trees held up a generous covering of snow on top, while icicles formed underneath. Disturbing the peacefulness of the scene, a group of people of all ages ran around throwing snowballs. Although there was no sound, Raymond could almost hear their shrieks of laughter.

The group finally got to a clearing in the wooded area and broke apart, forming into two teams. Raymond realized with a start that Jack was there in his signature outfit, martialing one team of snowball soldiers. His counterpart on the other side was a strikingly handsome young man with brown hair and a blush of freckles across his nose. This young man was dressed like everyone except Jack in full winter clothes, but underneath the bulk of his garb Raymond could tell he was lean and tall. Looking around, Raymond noticed that the other figures were less defined. Jack wasn't as focused on their appearances, apparently.

As he watched, the two teams built up caches of snowballs, occasionally lobbing on odd missile or two at each other but these were easily dodged. With a silent cry, the young man ordered his troops into all-out battle. From the other side of the clearing, Jack pointed his staff at the opposing army, his mouth open in an answering battle-cry. Both sides ran at each other and paired off, each soldier wielding a snowball in either hand. Jack and the young brown-haired man found each other in the chaos. They held onto their snowballs, feinting at each other and trading jeering glances. Finally, the young man smirked and threw his first snowball, but it was met mid-air with Jack's first and they both turned to harmless snowy fluff. Jack beat a stunning retreat as the young man charged at him, his free hand out to grasp at Jack. Turning around, Jack executed a backflip; his second snowball flew right into his opponent's face.

At the contact, the young man reared back, falling onto his bottom in the snow. The snowball had coated his deep brown eyebrows and eyelashes as well as his hair. Shaking his head, the young man held up one hand to Jack, his face full of surrender and defeat. Laughing, Jack grasped his foe's hand. As he was helped up, the youngster's face turned from smiling surrender to gleeful treachery and the snowball in his other hand soon struck Jack in the face point-blank.

As his opponent laughed, Jack stood stunned, blinking snow out of his eyes. Eyes cleared, Jack turned a look on his foe that Raymond was sure meant trouble. Picking up his staff, Jack waved it over the snow and summoned dozens of snowballs in the space between them. His laughing adversary's eyes widened in surprise and then he bent down to grab and throw as many of them as he could while Jack did the same. Eventually, Raymond could barely see them under the flurry of snow that they created around them.

In the airship's sitting room, the real Jack smiled and pulled his hand back. The dreamglass scene faded and cleared to reveal the clouds passing by. Raymond and Jack smiled at each other.

"I suppose that's your idea of fun?" Raymond asked teasingly.

"What? You have a problem with snowball fights?" Jack answered, his face twisted into an affronted glare of mock offense.

Raymond sniffed indifferently. "Oh, it looks fun enough. I imagine, though, that the after-effects on those poor mortals are…chilling, shall we say?" He smiled at his own pun.

Jack rolled his eyes. "That's what a good fire is for. There's nothing like having fun in the snow and returning home to a warm fire with a cup of hot chocolate."

Returning the favor with an eye-roll of his own; Raymond rebutted. "See, everyone prefers warmth, which you can always find in abundance in my season."

Jack crossed his arms and faced Raymond fully. "Yeah, that is if you don't mind an over-abundance of it. I've seen Arizona."

Raymond waved dismissively. "That's what ponds, pools, creeks, streams, rivers, lakes and oceans are for. There's nothing like taking a refreshing dip on a hot summer day and capping it off with a popsicle."

Jack let out a slight shiver. Since he knew that Jack was indifferent to the cold, Raymond thought about what could have triggered that reaction. "What? You don't like swimming?"

Jack stared at Raymond. Unlike the other times, this time Jack's stare held something like disbelieving scrutiny. Finally, Jack answered. "Let's just say I've had a bad experience or two when it comes to bodies of water."

Raymond looked down, unsure of how he'd offended. He realized then how little he really knew about the winter immortal. Turning his eyes back on Jack, he saw Jack look away as if he'd been staring at Raymond again. The sudden discomfort prompted Raymond to push forward. "All right you know my story, or at least as much as I know of my story. So now it's your turn. Who are you, Jack Frost?"

Jack turned his eyes back on Raymond in curiosity. The challenging tones in Raymond's voice didn't mask the uncertainty that Jack could see on Raymond's face, even with a mask obscuring the top half. Jack was unsure himself. "Where do I even start?"

"Usually, a story starts at the beginning." Raymond said, his voice slightly condescending but his eyes full of interest. Jack picked up on this and smiled.

"Fine, I was born over three hundred years ago in a little town called Burgess…" Jack began.

Watching the two from their place near the door, Sandy and Tooth turned to each other and smiled.

Jack stopped his story after the part where he'd bonded to Jamie. By then, Raymond looked at Jack in a new light. He looked down at his lap and spoke. "I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I must have come off like a real prick after everything you've been through."

Jack shifted closer to Raymond and shrugged. "Yeah, you did." Raymund winced at his bluntness. "But I was a pretty big prick myself when I changed." Jack laughed, and Raymond felt better. Raymond looked back up at Jack and smiled.

"What's it like?" Raymond asked absent mindedly, his mind already off on another subject.

Jack glanced sideways at him, eyes twinkling in mischief. "Laughing? It's a blast, you should try it more often."

Raymond punched Jack playfully on the shoulder. "No, that's not what I meant."

"Okay, what did you mean? What is what like?" Jack asked, his expression more serious, but still smiling.

Raymond rubbed his neck nervously. "What is getting your memories back like? When you got all of you childhood memories back, did they all come at once? I-I'm not sure I'll like it " He tried smiling, but Jack saw the light touch of fear in Raymond's stiff posture.

Jack took a moment to think, then answered honestly. "Overwhelming. I actually experienced my last day as a mortal. It was like I was there again. But, Raymond..." Here Jack reached over and gently placed a hand on Raymond's shoulder. "I felt like you did before. Was my life so bad I forgot it? I shouldn't speak for you, but here's how it was for me. I had to know who I was so I could know why I was chosen to be a guardian. As it turns out, I had a family; I died saving my sister. My life had been happy, full of fun in spite of all the work everyone had to do."

"So why do we forget?" Raymond asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He'd given up hiding behind false bravado; Jack knew he had to answer the right way.

Finally, he came up with a good response. "There are a few theories that Tooth, North and I came up with. The most likely being the process of gaining powers makes us lose our memories. Next likely is the trauma I went through drowning could have wiped my memory. Honestly, it could be any reason or none at all."

"Do you really think I might be your…old boyfriend?" Ray asked awkwardly.

"Honestly, I don't know. There are a few encouraging clues that you might well be, but nothing definitive." Jack answered honestly.

Raymond squirmed a bit in his chair and then finally gave in. "There's no way to ask this delicately. How did he die?"

Jack went for the truth, or most of it. "I don't know. I wasn't there when it happened. I just felt it, like my heart and split in half. It was the worst feeling I've ever had, even worse than when I died."

Raymond looked out the window, trying in vain to hold in tears. "Jack, I'm just so scared, I don't even know if..." Jack silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Let's have a little fun. You up for a small flight?" Jack asked as he stood. Looking around, he made sure that Tooth and Sandy had stopped eavesdropping. He couldn't see their shadows under the door anymore, so he reasoned they must have moved deeper into the control room.

"Come on, we'll go for a few circuits around the airship while there's still some light out." Jack went back to the entryway, Raymond followed close behind, closing the door behind them to keep the air pressure in the rest of the airship constant.

Jack lowered the ramp and nearlt lost his footing. Raymond managed to grab him before he could get sucked out by the wind. "I can fly, you know."

Raymond rolled his eyes. "You're welcome. How do we close this after we fly out?"

"The ship has intelligence, doesn't it? Maybe we can tell it to close the ramp after us." Jack guessed.

"Did you hear that, ship?" Raymond yelled over the wind, feeling a bit foolish. "Can you close the ramp after us?" In answer, the ramp moved up and down smoothly.

"Huh, guess it worked." Jack said, summoning his staff. He spoke as he turned to Ray. "Last one out..." Jack realized he was talking to the air. He looked out to see Ray waving at him as he flew off.

"You coming, old man winter?" Ray taunted, a look of challenge and mischief overtaking his features.

Jack returned with a determined smile. "Oh, it's on now, sunspot!" He took to the air and the chase began.

"You don't think they're fighting, do you?" Tooth asked anxiously. She glanced at the Sandman, taking her eyes off of the dizzying aerial acrobatics the two immortals were pulling off as easy as breathing. His only response was a smile and knowing look. "Yeah, you're right, I'm being ridiculous."

After a pause to hold her breath as both boys took a steep dive out of sight, Tooth turned to Sandy again. "So, do you think Ray is Jamie?" Sandy puffed out an uneasy breath before shrugging. Tooth continued. "I guess we'll see when we get to the palace. We can start with Jamie's teeth just to settle that question. If he's not Jamie, then I just hope we can find him in the backlog. At least we have a rough estimate of when he died."

A dark blur hurtled past the windshield of the airship. Tooth inhaled sharply in surprise. "What was that?"

"C'mon, over three-hundred years and that's the best you can do?" Ray laughed as he disappeared into another cloud. As he came out the other side, Jack was right in front of him.

"Tag." Jack said as he jabbed Ray lightly on the chest. Ray was too stunned by his sudden appearance that it wasn't until Jack disappeared in a swirl of snowflakes and laughter that he caught on.

"Oh, it's on now, snowbird!" Ray said as he grinned.

Ray chased Jack over, around, and through the clouds. He was gaining, but so far all he had caught was Jack's wake and the odd peal of laughter. Finally, he had Jack pinned down inside one lone cumulonimbus when disaster struck. The cloud exploded, the white and fluffy giving way to a big orang stain in the sky.

The shockwave sent Ray backwards, but he managed enough control to keep his eyes on the blast. He could just make out a figure above the explosion, and the white mask (along with the explosion) tipped him off on who it was. "O'Lantern." Ray growled as he made to close the distance and reprimand the errant autumn spirit. Then, he caught a streak of orange pointing downwards.

"Jack!" Ray shot as fast as he could to intercept Jack's fall. Jack plummeted through the sky, clearly unconscious as his body rolled and flailed in the wind. Ray made it within fingertips of Jack a few times, thwarted in his efforts by Jack's unpredictable flailing. Finally, as the pair got dangerously close to the waves, Ray got a hold around Jack's waist. Hugging Jack to his chest, he threw his energy into pulling up out of the dive. The effort nearly knocked him out as well, between the power he channeled to communicate with the wind and the physical feat it was just holding onto the white-haired boy.

As Ray finally got control, Jack came around. "Hu-uh! Jacko! That crazy, stupid, cowardly bastard! I'm going to…" Finally, Jack realized he was being carried by a very warm other person. "Um, Ray?"

"Yeah, I caught you; you're welcome. Good to see you're alright." Raymond's smile really was too beautiful up close, Jack decided.

"Hey, you don't hear me complaining." Jack said finally, as he found his voice again. He wrapped his arms around Ray's back. "Just don't drop me." Ray looked at Jack quizzically before another explosion went off mere feet away from the two.

The blast was less forceful than the first, both immortals were still conscious. Nevertheless, it forced the two apart. Jack called the wind and looked around quickly to try and spot their assailant. Jacko had turned tail; Jack could only make out a greyish-black blur. Raymond looked ready to take off after him; Jack only managed to just barely grab his arm before he could pursue.

"He's not worth it…" Jack started.

Raymond's face was contorted with rage. "The hell he isn't! Do you know what Mother Nature would say about this? He didn't just attack another immortal in cold blood! He also attacked me! Courtiers are forbidden from attacking one another; it disrupts the harmony of the seasons. The scope of the act he has committed goes beyond a little inconvenience. This will alter weather patterns and cause storms the likes of which not seen in centuries if he goes unchecked!"

Most of Raymond's speech went right over Jack's head. He stared at Raymond's face, or what he could see around the remnants of the mask. More pieces had fallen away; the mask now only covered the right side of his face above the mouth. Even enraged, Jack could see a very strong resemblance to…"Jamie?"

That one word stopped Ray mid-rant. Raymond looked confused for a moment, before shock overtook his features. Slowly, he reached up with his left hand and touched his face; skin making contact with skin. "No."

"Hey, don't do this again. Stay calm, Jay…I mean Raymond." Jack could have kicked himself. He should have gotten Raymond back to the airship and then broken the news to Raymond about his mask.

"Jack, I can't be…I just, I can't. I've got to go." Ray tried pulling away, but Jack remained firm.

"Raymond, please!" Jack began.

"No, I have to see why this mask is breaking. If I lost control again, it could be devastating…" Raymond said lamely.

"Don't you think if you were losing control that you would have shown some sign of it? The mask has broken twice and if anything, you're only getting stronger and more in control." Raymond tried to pull away again, actually putting some energy into the effort. "Raymond, please, I have to know…"

"Well, maybe I don't want to know!" Raymond said angrily. The outburst accomplished what pulling could not, Jack let go. "You talk about having to know who you were to know who you are? That's pathetic, in my opinion. I don't care who I was, Jack! I know who I am; I am Raymond, the Spirit of Summer and a member of the Court of Seasons. Now, if you don't mind, I have to go tell Mother Nature about Jacko's treachery." Raymond made to turn and leave.

Jack's heart nearly tore itself to pieces before his brain figured out a solution. Without taking further thought, Jack blurted out. "I accept Mother Nature's offer." Raymond stopped out of confusion.

The summer spirit turned around. "What?"

"I believe I have a standing invitation to join the Court of Seasons. I accept." Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Unable to think, Raymond warred with himself mentally. "I don't think that's a good idea…"

"You know of any other winter spirits eager to take the offer?" Jack paused as Raymond's brain scrambled. "I didn't think so. If you really want harmony between the seasons then the Court must have a Winter Spirit. I'll do it."

Raymond found his voice. "You don't think I know what's going on, Frost? Whatever you're planning, I'm not buying it. You've always turned down the offer to join and you think I'm just going to believe you now?"

Jack smirked. "You don't have to believe me. Mother Nature does. You think she would take kindly to you refusing me?"

"Without me, you'll never even find the island!" Raymond countered.

"I don't have to find the island. I just have to ask the Guardians to help me." Jack replied.

"The Guardians don't trust you." Raymond said triumphantly.

"I'm on a sort of probation, true. But they'll still help me if I ask them. Just look at Sandy and Tooth." Jack said, matter-of-factly.

"You just want to join so you can try to make me want my memories back! Not to mention, you have such a sore relationship with Jacko that he would risk expulsion from the Court just to hurt you. You joining now would be catastrophic for the world's weather!" Raymond turned to leave again.

"That's not your call to make. Mother Nature invited me, she can refuse me." Jack said coldly.

The other immortal didn't turn around. "Then I will pass along your message, Frost. If she agrees, I will come to the Tooth Palace to fetch you." With a flash of light, Raymond took off like a rocket.

Jack sighed. That hadn't gone quite like he'd planned. He returned to the airship to give the other Guardians a heads up. If he had any luck, there would be a visitor at the Tooth Palace soon.

Author's Note –

Sorry it took so incredibly long to get this out. I could wish it was a bit longer, but I've gone through quite a hellacious last couple of months. I feel an explanation is in order, please know that this isn't an excuse. I still could have posted something, but I'm not a perfect person.

In August, I finally moved out of my old apartment and into another one with two roommates. Tensions started running high about a month in. After making a number of eviction threats and cutting off access to the wifi at home, I realized things weren't going to get better. I started to look for another apartment and then my grandfather passed away in the beginning of October. I missed a few days at work to see him at the hospital and attend the funeral. The week after the funeral I had to change schedules at work to cover for a coworker going on a two week vacation. I got pretty sick after the first week but soldiered through it.

I'm back on my regular schedule and hopefully (even with the holidays approaching) I'll be able to post some more chapters this year. I've stopped trying to predict how long this is going to get. Thank you so very much if you're still with me. A very special thanks to SkyHighFan for letting me know that there are actual people out there who want to see this story finished (besides me).

As always, I love to hear from you guys in the review section below or PM me if you're a bit more shy.


	14. Broken Silence

It took less time than Jack feared before Raymond appeared at the Tooth Palace. Unfortunately, he was not alone. Accompanying the summer spirit was the spring Courtier, Paddy the Leprechaun. The little tooth fairies were quite taken with Raymond, although he glowed a deep sunset red as he stood glowering. On the other hand, they seemed to give Paddy a wide berth.

"Bit of bad blood between myself and the fairies. An old April Fool's prank involving a few birdcages and some glitter. They seem to still blame me." Paddy said enigmatically at Jack's questioning look.

"Paddy, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Tooth asked upon seeing him. She looked about as happy as her fairies.

"The lad wouldn't agree to come get Frost otherwise." Paddy responded. This earned the green-garbed immortal a look of pure rage not quite covered by the remnants of Raymond's mask.

The diminutive spirit shrugged off the look with a wave. "I'm not thrilled to be here either, but desperate times and all."

Tooth drew herself up. "Would you do us the honor of joining us for tea."

Raymond looked as if he wanted to say something very rude, but Paddy elbowed him into silence. Paddy piped up. "Actually, our orders were to merely extend Mother Nature's..."

Having spoken with Jack about the best of action in light of the situation, Tooth cut him off. "Paddy, Jack might be under suspension, but North wouldn't agree to this unless we had a talk with you first." Her severe tone change got a surprised reaction from both of the Courtiers. "We should speak in a more... suitable setting." She said, gesturing at the fairies fawning over Raymond.

Tooth led the way, followed by Paddy and Raymond, while Jack brought up the rear and shooed away the smaller fairies. They stepped into a circular room with cushions on the floor around a low table. Tooth flew over and sat at the head of the table. Jack sat cross-legged on the floor, gesturing for the other two to join him across the table.

"As Nicholas St North's representative and as Guardian of Childhood Memories, I welcome you both to the Tooth Palace. There are a number of questions that the Guardians have concerning the Court of Seasons and Mother Nature herself."

Paddy nodded slowly. "I can appreciate that, lassie. I'll answer what I can, but know that Mother Nature would not be pleased with this delay. It was her understanding that Jack isn't a Guardian."

Tooth's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Jack is currently under suspension from the Guardians. North supports his decision to leave the Guardians for the Court. As we understand it, you have needed a winter immortal for quite some time. I'm sure Mother Nature can wait a bit longer."

Jack piped in. "Especially given how Raymond and I were attacked by one of her Courtiers."

Raymond laughed. Silence fell among the other immortals at the table. He caught himself as three sets of eyes stared at him. "Sorry, it's just that that situation was less dire than I thought."

Paddy resisted the urge to smack Raymond. "What Raymond means is that the assailant was not who he thought it was. O'Lantern has been on the Court's island since his release. He barely made the trip there. He seems to have weakened considerably, in fact."

Tooth glared at Raymond as she spoke. "Forgive me if I don't sound as relieved as some. If O'Lantern didn't attack them, then someone else did with his powers. It sounds to me like there is a group out there that can drain powers and then imitate them."

Paddy sighed. "Which is why Mother Nature didn't want us to say much about it. News like this could make the panic worse among the immortal community."

"There have been other cases of weakening. Jack is the only one to recover and the very immortal who helped him is, as I understand it, with your leader."

Paddy couldn't resist. "As I understand it, that immortal you speak of was stabbed in the chest by a certain member of your group."

Tooth didn't flinch. "I won't lie. I stabbed Pitch Black in the heart. After all he had done to try to destroy my group, I consider it justified. Your lady interfered once before on his behalf, but even she would agree that Pitch Black had to be stopped. Besides, he got better." Her stiffened neck feathers gave away her embarrassment.

Paddy opened his hands to shrug. "I can't speak for Kozmotis Pitchener and I would not dare to speak for Mother Nature. If either of them feel they are in a position to help other immortals, they have not communicated that to me."

Tooth turned to Jack. "We could tell North about this. If the same thing happened to you, then you'd be cleared and reinstated."

Jack shook his head. "I've still got to prove that it did happen to me, Tooth. I need to see what they know about this mystery power-stealer. Not to mention..." Jack was cut off by Raymond again.

Raymond crossed his arms. "This has nothing to do with anything! Jack is to come with us to the island. That's all the Guardians need to know. Honestly, I don't even know why we're bothering. It's clear that Jack is still loyal to the Guardians." Jack thought the summer immortal looked fairly childish but just barely resisted the temptation to goad him.

Tooth raised an eyebrow at the display of temper. She responded coldly. "The Guardians and the Court of Seasons have a treaty to keep the peace between us. I'm not sure where the Court keeps their copy but the Guardians keep ours in the same book as our oath. This treaty is very comprehensive. Never has a Guardian, even a suspended one, become a Courtier. The treaty between the two groups does allow for it to happen, though. Both ways actually. To do so, a formal meeting must take place and the immortal changing teams must present the new team with a gift of great personal worth. This shows a certain amount of dedication on the part of the new member."

Raymond snorted and addressed Jack directly for the first time. "Right, and just what is it you've decided to give to the Court of Seasons?"

Jack paused and looked at Tooth. From seemingly nowhere, she pulled a golden cylinder with a child's face on one end. She set the tube upon the table.

"These are the childhood memories of my first believer. They are very precious to me, but to prove that I am serious, I give these as a gift..." Jack had expected to be cut off sooner. Raymond had been too shocked to speak.

"What? How can you even give these up? They're not yours!" Ray said in outrage as he stood.

"When Jamie died, We resolved to give Jack Frost Frost the childhood memories of his soul mate. They are his to do with as he pleases." Tooth said diplomatically. In fact, it had been very hard to convince her that this was the right thing to do.

Raymond opened his mouth to protest further, but Paddy pulled him back into his seat and spoke up. "It's up to Mother Nature to accept the gift or nae. Frost can carry it to her and present it in person, assuming you're ready to depart?" Paddy stood. Raymond followed suit a bit awkwardly. He took a step back to get away from the memories on the table.

Jack picked up the memory case and slipped it into his hoodie. "Thank you, Tooth. I'll see you around, okay?" She stood as he did.

"You are welcome back here anytime Jack, I hope you find the answers you need." She gave him a hug suddenly, nearly throwing him off balance. Over Tooth's shoulder, he could see Raymond storm out. He looked over at Paddy, who shrugged and shook his head.

Jack extricated himself from Toothiana's grasp and smiled at her as he walked away. Paddy walked beside him. As they prepared to take off, Jack noted Raymond's complete absence. "Did he leave without us?"

Paddy looked over at him tiredly. "He won't have gone far, I'm sure." As Jack summoned his staff, he realized Paddy was still staring at him.

"Everything okay?" Jack asked.

Paddy sighed and looked up. "I don't understand why you're doing this. Whatever it is you think about Raymond, or hell, even what you feel about the boy, you could just as easily be wrong. You know that, right? You could be wrong in any number of ways, from him not sharing your feelings to him being different than you first thought."

Jack sighed. He'd gotten the same reaction from Tooth, nearly verbatim. "I know, Paddy."

Paddy folded his arms like he wasn't sure if he believed that. "And yet you're willing to sacrifice so much just for the slight chance you hit the jackpot in one category or another?"

Jack smiled. "You know how luck goes. Sometimes a leap of faith isn't free." With that, Jack jumped off of the balcony and took to the air.

"Hold on, lad! You've not a clue where to go!"

Raymond hadn't gone far, as Paddy had predicted. They flew in a v formation with Raymond leading the way. Jack flew behind him and to the right while Paddy flew beside Jack on the left. They'd fallen into formation without speaking. Aside from the noise of the wind, silence had fallen between them.

Jack took a moment to familiarize himself with the feel of the other two winds. The wind that he flew on, Boreas, had always carried a chill to it. Paddy's wind, Eurus, had a strong smell of rain. Raymond's wind, Notus, was the opposite to both as it was dry and warm. Jack wasn't excited to be following such a wind; the wake alone reminded him too much of Arizona.

Just when Jack was about to suggest a change in formation, a blast erupted in between the three immortals.

Luckily, all three managed to stay aloft. They looked around quickly to try and find their assailant. Finally, Jack saw them just above right before …

"Heads up!" Jack shouted, pointing up at the pumpkin bomb falling towards Paddy. The immortal disappeared in a flash of rainbow colors before the bomb exploded. A flash of golden light ahead of him and Raymond disappeared. Jack charged directly at their assailant, intent on not letting whoever it was get away again. Paddy and Raymond appeared on either side of the attacker, fists raised to attack. In a flash of orange, the figure disappeared. The two immortals couldn't pull their attacks in time and the sky exploded in a blinding wave of colors. Jack flew right into the explosion, unable to avoid it at the speed he was going. All three fell to the ground.

"Paddy, wake up! Don't you dare leave me alone with Frost!" Raymond's voice pulled Jack out of the daze he'd been in, although he still couldn't see.

Jack used a stream of language unbecoming of a Guardian as he sat up. "I can't see." He said, starting to panic.

"Paddy!" Raymond's voice was louder. "He's awake, you lousy leprechaun, get your green-clad ass up!" A thud was the only response to Raymond's 'tender' ministrations. Jack figured it was Paddy hitting the ground.

"Leave the leprechaun be and help me, won't you? I can't see anything and I'm just a touch freaked out at the moment!" Jack said crossly.

"Great, lucky me." Raymond sounded like he was moving away.

"Hey, where are you going? You can't leave me like this!" Jack's voice rose in anger and panic.

"Cool it, Frost. I'm just grabbing your staff. Can't believe it landed so close. Not to mention how we all ended up here together. We had to have been pretty high up when we fell." Raymond held Jack's staff up to hand it off before he realized Jack couldn't see it. Wincing, Raymond took Jack's hand and guided it to Jack's staff.

"I can't believe I'm the only one blinded. Didn't that explosion affect you at all?"

"Of course it affected me, you dunce. You think I planned a fall like that? As for the blindness, I'm the Courtier of Summer, Frost. I wield light. It would be pretty sad if I was blinded by my own power. By the way, could you close your eyes? It's really starting to weird me out."

Jack complied huffily. "Sorry to have disturbed you. My blindness must be such a burden for you"

Ignoring the tone, Raymond answered him. "Yes, it is, actually. I could use your help waking the comatose, treasure-hoarding, ginger shrimp wrapped in a four leaf clover over there!"

"I resemble that remark." Paddy said weakly.

"Finally!" Raymond said crossly. "Get up and take care of the blue-hooded snowflake. He's gone blind."

"I expect..." Paddy said slowly, doling out his words with care. "...my blast of magic might have something to do with his blindness and my inability to move. Bit of bad luck, really."

"Why wasn't I hit?" Raymond responded.

"Do you feel like you fell a few hundred feet?" Paddy inquired idly.

"No...actually I feel pretty good." Raymond answered.

"Jack?" Paddy asked.

"Yeah, I've felt better." Jack replied.

"Well, looks like you got more good luck than bad, Raymond my laddie. Which is just as well for us. The blindness and paralysis should wear off, but it could take a bit of time. We'll just have to camp out for the night.

"Where are we?" Raymond stomped his foot as he pouted.

Jack turned his head around to look at the scenery before he realized he couldn't. "Well, I'd say we're stuck."

A/N:

This storyline is progressing once again. After breaking down the uneasy peace between Jack and Raymond, we'll get to the root of both of these characters (with Paddy along for some advice and a smart-ass remark). We're actually nearing the end of this story. The Court will need to be at full strength to face this unknown power-syphoning baddie. Don't worry, the Guardians aren't going to be sitting idly by. Expect a certain list-checker and egg-hider in the coming chapters.

After a lot of thought, I've decided to re-master (as in actually edit grammar and formatting errors as well as straighten out some problem areas) the Nipped Your Nose and In Memoriam Pruinae stories and post that up on Archive of our Own. Don't look for those just yet, I'm in the process of re-working them and it's getting me kindled up again to finish the story. For those interested, I'm also considering adding in some more chapters to Nipped Your Nose because I feel I left a lot behind in the time skips. Expect some fluff between Jack and Jamie, nothing that'll change the plot but more of an exploration of the time in between.

Please feel free to leave feedback, especially what you think about the re-master and maybe what scenes you'd like to see.


	15. Break the Walls Down Part 1

"Well I'd say we're stuck." Jack replied.

"Great." Ray snarled.

"Jack, do us both a favor and don't mention his mask to him." Paddy whispered to the figure behind him.

"What do you mean my mask…?" Raymond asked wildly as he checked his face. His mask…was gone!

In the sudden silence, Paddy's unease rose. "Out of curiosity, where are you Jack m'lad?"

Jack hazarded a guess. "Considering I can't see you, I'd guess you were about fifteen feet away."

"How many meters is that?" Paddy asked. "I haven't used American measurements…ever."

Jack sighed. "Not really the time for math. Can you see Ray?"

"If I could d'ya think I would'a blabbed about his mask?" Paddy retorted. "Sorry, he dropped me sideways away from you two." Paddy sighed. "Don't suppose you could follow my voice? I have a killer itch on the end of my nose."

Using his staff like a blind person's cane, Jack tapped his way over to Paddy. "Ouch, don't freeze me!" Paddy complained as Jack's staff hit him in the side. Although he couldn't move, Paddy could still feel his entire body, including his now-freezing ribs.

"Sorry!" Jack said, finding Paddy's face after a bit of tactile searching. "Is this it?"

"No, that's my chin. You need to go up a bit." Paddy answered. Jack tried again. "Well, you've got me nose. Now out and just a bit to the left."

"Jack?" Raymond's voice was soft; Jack barely heard him.

"Raymond, are you feeling better? You went quiet on us. I figured you flew off on us." Jack turned toward Raymond's voice and was abruptly hauled off his feet as the immortal swept him up in his arms.

"Um, hey buddy. What's up?" Jack asked awkwardly.

Ray pulled away suddenly. "Uh, I'm sorry. Mother Nature wouldn't give me a straight answer about my mask. But now that it's gone, I don't feel out of control. I think you were right when you said the mask limited my powers until I could handle them."

"It's cool. I'd love to see the look on your face right now, though. I bet you look pretty sour having to admit that I was right." Jack joked.

Ray smacked his own head. "Sorry, forgot you were blind. I was just about to ask you how I look."

"Well, that can wait. We need to find somewhere safe for the night." Paddy interjected.

Ray hurried over to Paddy and lifted him onto his shoulders. "Paddy's right. Sorry about dropping you earlier by the way."

"I'll get you back for it eventually, fortune willing." Paddy said half-heartedly.

"That's the spirit!" Jack said cheerfully. "Now what?"

"With you blind and Paddy paralyzed, we're down to one fully capable immortal." Raymond stated simply.

"We're going to need a shelter." Paddy chipped in.

"Think you can manage it, Mr. Fully Capable?" Jack said in what he believed was Raymond's direction.

"I moved over here." Raymond called. Jack turned to face him. "I'm going to try putting some tree branches together for a shelter. Shouldn't be too hard."

After an hour of cursing, numerous collapses and having Jack hold one thing or another, Ray asked the inevitable question. "How does it look?"

"Looks like I'll have to worry about rainfall." Paddy said.

"You tried your best, Ray. If it's any consolation, it looks pretty good to me." Jack offered.

"Thanks, Jack. I really don't know what I'm doing, but I appre-…" Ray paused and turned to face Jack. The latter immortal had the biggest smirk on his face. "Why did you feel the need to do that?"

Paddy guffawed from his place on the ground. Jack burst into laughter a split second later. Shaking his head, Ray submitted to his own laughter. It had a nice ring to it.

"You have a nice laugh, sunshine." Jack said.

"I'm going to go look for a shelter. I'll hit the air and really get a feel for how big this place is."

"Don't go too high or too far, you don't want to have to face those power thieves alone." Jack cautioned.

"I'll be quick as lightning." Ray said smiling.

Jack felt his way over to Paddy. He sat down beside the leprechaun and sighed.

"You sound pretty pleased with yourself." Paddy said.

Jack nodded. "It's nice not having Ray mad at me. I hope it lasts."

Paddy nodded, got excited about the development, then remembered Jack couldn't see. "Aye lad. He handled his mask disappearing fairly well too."

"I think he overthought the whole mask problem. He took not knowing something about his own mask pretty personally. And…well. It might have been my fault too. I kept bringing up Jamie."

"Yeah, talking about your dead boyfriend with another prospective suitor is usually a bad idea."

Jack snorted. "A bit early to be calling Ray a potential suitor. I just…I mean who knows what happens when you die? I woke up as an immortal. Is it too far-fetched to think Jamie could've been picked too?"

"Jack, I…" They were interrupted by a rush of air.

"Well, you'll never guess who I found." Ray began.

Jack laughed. "I'm blind, so I guess you're right."

A facepalm later, Ray replied. "Jack, may I introduce you to Mother Nature, Queen of the Court of Seasons."

Standing up, Jack hazarded a guess and bowed. "Nice to meet you, at last."

"He's momentarily blind." Ray explained.

"I see." A feminine voice said.

Jack resisted another laugh. "I don't."

Mother Nature ended up laughing, her voice clear and crisp. "This is hardly the place for introductions. This island is inhabited, as you would have found out shortly. Luckily for you, they do believe in me. I was paying them a visit. If I had anticipated your arrival to be this quickly, I would have been awaiting you on my island. So, all things considered, this is a stroke of good luck."

Paddy laughed from his place on the ground. "I don't know if I'd go that far, milady."

"I suppose you're right. Shall we adjourn to the Court?" She asked, but didn't really expect an answer, as moments later Jack felt a tingle overtake him.

"Oh, that woman has a wicked sense of humor." Ray said.

"What's going on?" Jack asked.

"We've been teleported to the Court of Seasons. Trouble is, we're at the bottom of a very long set of stairs."

"Paddy?" Jack asked.

"Nope. Seems she took pity on him, at least. Try opening your eyes." Ray said.

Jack did and, while the world was much brighter than he remembered, he could see. "Ray, I can..." The words died in his throat.

"I, uh, would have told you earlier, but I wanted you to see for yourself."

Jack cleared his throat. The lump formed inside his throat made it hard to speak. "At least I didn't lock Jamie in his room for three months."

"That's it? You leave the Guardians on the off chance that your boyfriend is still alive and all you have to say to me is some lame line about Jacko?"

"What do I even call you?" Jack asked seriously.

"Whatever feels right to you. It's all the same to me really."

"As long as I don't call you James, right?" Jack asked wickedly.

Ray/Jamie laughed. "Anything but that." He agreed.

Then the dam burst and both immortals hugged each other close. Jack didn't know which of them started it, but suddenly Jamie's lips were on his again and the feeling was too incredible. Both had tears streaming down their faces when they separated.

"I thought you were dead." Jack began

"At some point, you were probably right." Jamie answered. Jack tried not to think about that too long.

It was him! Albeit, now he had literally flaming hair. Jack took stock of everything about him. His pale face, a few shades lighter than he'd been in Hawaii. That perfect face, with the same smile that Jack loved. It was Jamie!

It was too much. Jack sat on the steps in front of them. Jamie followed suit, putting an arm around Jack. "If it's any consolation, I don't think you killed me."

Jack turned to look at him, afraid for a moment that this was a dream. "What happened?"

"I did something stupidly heroic in a bad situation. Then I lost my memories. When we landed on that island, the tooth holder must've slipped out. I picked it up and regained just about everything. I've still got some gaps, but the old memories triggered a few of the new and well, here we are."

"Here we are." Jack echoed. "I love you."

Jamie smiled. "I love you, too."

They kissed again, slowly, passionately. When he pulled away, Jack looked around. "Well, we have just a few problems, don't we?"

"Um, yeah." Jamie said, eloquently. "There's this set of stairs, the Court of Seasons in general, Mother Nature specifically, my family, who killed me, the power-thieves and then there's the whole problem of our seasons being complete opposites."

Jack nodded solemnly.

Jamie sighed. "But screw all that and kiss me again."

Jack nodded, and obliged.


End file.
